Dynamics of polymer translocation into a circular nanocontainer through a nanopore

TL;DR

This study uses Langevin dynamics simulations to explore how polymers translocate into a nanocontainer through a nanopore, revealing effects of driving force, density, and chain length on translocation behavior.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the dynamics and scaling behavior of polymer translocation into nanocontainers, highlighting the influence of density and force.

Findings

Translocation probability saturates with increasing force.

Translocation time distribution shifts from Gaussian to asymmetric with density.

Scaling exponent of translocation time depends on density and force.

Abstract

Using Langevin dynamics simulations, we investigate the dynamics of polymer translocation into a circular nanocontainer through a nanopore under a driving force $F$. We observe that the translocation probability initially increases and then saturates with increasing $F$, independent of $\phi$, which is the average density of the whole chain in the nanocontainer. The translocation time distribution undergoes a transition from a Gaussian distribution to an asymmetric distribution with increasing $\phi$. Moreover, we find a nonuniversal scaling exponent of the translocation time as chain length, depending on $\phi$ and $F$. These results are interpreted by the conformation of the translocated chain in the nanocontainer and the time of an individual segment passing through the pore during translocation.