Driven polymer translocation through a nanopore from a confining channel.

Area of Science:

• Polymer Physics
• Soft Matter Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Polymer translocation through nanopores is crucial for biological processes and nanotechnology applications.
• Understanding the dynamics of polymer chains confined in narrow channels during translocation is complex.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the dynamics of pore-driven polymer translocation from a confined narrow channel into a 2D semi-infinite space.
• To compare Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations with iso-flux tension propagation (IFTP) theory for characterizing translocation dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Langevin dynamics (LD) simulations were employed to model the polymer chain's movement.
• Iso-flux tension propagation (IFTP) theory was utilized to analyze local and global translocation dynamics.

Main Results:

• IFTP theory demonstrated excellent agreement with LD simulations across various channel confinement levels.
• Translocation time scaling depends on both chain contour length and channel width for channels comparable to chain dimensions.
• In very narrow channels, translocation time is primarily dependent on chain contour length, resembling rod-like behavior.

Conclusions:

• IFTP theory provides a robust framework for describing polymer translocation dynamics under confinement.
• Channel width significantly influences translocation dynamics, particularly in narrower geometries.
• The study elucidates how confinement affects polymer chain behavior during nanopore translocation.