Polymer translocation through a nanopore driven by binding particles: influence of chain rigidity.
We investigate the influence of chain rigidity on the dynamics of polymer translocation in the presence of binding particles (BPs) through a nanopore using two-dimensional Langevin dynamics simulations. With increasing chain rigidity κ, the mean translocation time 〈τ〉 increases monotonically due to an increase in the radius of gyration and a decrease in the center of mass velocity. Particularly for weak binding, we further find that 〈τ〉 shows a power-law behavior with the persistence length lp. Analysis indicates a scaling relation between the average velocity of the center of mass of a chain 〈vc.m.〉 and lp. As the chain becomes stiffer, the distribution of the translocation time τ approximates the Gaussian distribution and gets broader with the peak position being shifted towards longer translocation time. The corresponding translocation coordinate smax of the maximum waiting time gets smaller with increasing chain rigidity. Finally, under an extremely low BP concentration, 〈τ〉 shows a minimum for small κ, while it decreases monotonically for large κ with increasing binding energy. Our results suggest a nontrivial effect of the intrinsic property of chains on the dynamics of polymer translocation driven by BPs.
CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui Province 230026, People's Republic of China.
Wancheng
W
Yu
CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui Province 230026, People's Republic of China.
Kaifu
K
Luo
D003198:Computer Simulation; D004548:Elasticity; D008956:Models, Chemical; D058608:Nanopores; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*; D013816:Thermodynamics; D013997:Time Factors
D011108:Polymers