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Numerical simulation on polymer translocation into crowded environment with nanoparticles

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Abstract

The effects of crowded environment with nano particles are studied for polymer translocation through a small pore. The translocation time τ is simulated by Fokker-Planck equation at different free energy landscapes F and diffusion coefficients of polymer D. The free energy is calculated using the Rosenbluth-Rosenbluth method, and the diffusion coefficient is followed the relation \(D \sim \frac {1}{N} e^{-\triangle F}\). We find that the free energy is dependent on polymer-nanoparticle interaction, size of the nanoparticle, and position of the nanoparticle. The attractive nanoparticles at the trans side can provide a driving force to polymer by lowering the free energy, but the exclusive effect of nanoparticle can raise the free energy of polymer. There exists an optimum interaction that τ is roughly independent on the size and position of nanoparticles. It is found that these effects are related to the conformational change of polymer chain in crowded environment.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. 11447184, and this work was also supported from Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grants No. LQ14A040001 and No. LQ14A040004. W.P.C and Y.J.C thank the financial support by the physics from the most important among all the top priority disciplines of Zhejiang Province under Grant Nos. xkzwl14 and xkzw113.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Lishui University, Lishui, 323000, China

    Qing-Bao Ren, Song-Hua Ma, Ya-Jiang Chen & Wei-Ping Cao

  2. Department of Applied Physics, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310023, China

    Li-Zhen Sun

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  1. Qing-Bao Ren
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  2. Song-Hua Ma
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Correspondence to Wei-Ping Cao.

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Ren, QB., Ma, SH., Chen, YJ. et al. Numerical simulation on polymer translocation into crowded environment with nanoparticles. Colloid Polym Sci 294, 1351–1357 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-016-3891-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-016-3891-x

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