Single file dynamics in soft materials

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent theoretical and experimental advances in single file dynamics, a phenomenon relevant to various natural and technological processes involving constrained particle motion.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of recent developments in the theory and experiments of single file dynamics, highlighting new models and applications.

Findings

Enhanced understanding of particle interactions in single file systems

Recent experimental realizations of single file diffusion

Generalizations of classical single file diffusion models

Abstract

The term single file (SF) dynamics refers to the motion of an assembly of particles through a channel with cross-section comparable to the particles' diameter. Single file diffusion (SFD) is then the diffusion of a tagged particle in a \emph{single file}, i.e., under the condition that particle passing is not allowed. SFD accounts for a large variety of processes in nature, including diffusion of colloids in synthetic and natural-shaped channels, biological motors along molecular chains, electrons in proteins and liquid helium, ions through membrane, just to mention a few examples. Albeit introduced in '65, over the last decade the classical notion of SF dynamics has been generalized to account through a more realistic modeling of, among others, particles properties, file geometry, particle-particle and channel-particles interactions, thus paving the way to remarkable applications in, for example, the technology of bio-integrated nanodevices. We then provide a comprehensive review of the recent advances in the theory of SF dynamics and the ensuing experimental realisations.