Translocation time of a polymer chain through an energy gradient nanopore

TL;DR

This paper investigates how the translocation time of a polymer through an energy gradient nanopore can be controlled, using Monte Carlo simulations and Fokker-Planck calculations to reveal three distinct behaviors.

Contribution

It introduces a combined simulation and analytical approach to understand and tune polymer translocation times via energy gradient design.

Findings

Three distinct translocation behaviors identified

Translocation time can be tuned by energy gradient design

Qualitative explanation via free-energy landscapes

Abstract

The translocation time of a polymer chain through an interaction energy gradient nanopore was studied by Monte Carlo simulations and the Fokker-Planck equation with double-absorbing boundary conditions. Both the simulation and calculation revealed three different behaviors for polymer translocation. These behaviors can be explained qualitatively from free-energy landscapes obtained for polymer translocation at different parameters. Results show that the translocation time of a polymer chain through a nanopore can be tuned by suitably designing the interaction energy gradient.