Easier sieving through narrower pores: fluctuations and barrier crossing in flow-driven polymer translocation

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that polymer chains translocate more easily through narrower nanochannels due to decreased diffusive times, supported by theoretical modeling and simulations.

Contribution

It extends the de Gennes blob model to explain polymer translocation in narrow channels and confirms findings with hybrid molecular dynamics-lattice Boltzmann simulations.

Findings

Polymer injection into nanochannels becomes easier with narrower channels.

Decreased diffusive time scales facilitate translocation.

Theoretical model aligns with simulation results.

Abstract

We show that the injection of polymer chains into nanochannels becomes easier as the channel becomes narrower. This counter intuitive result arises because of a decrease in the diffusive time scale of the chains with increasing confinement. The results are obtained by extending the de Gennes blob model of confined polymers, and confirmed by hybrid molecular dynamics - lattice-Boltzmann simulations.