Deceleration of polymer translocation through a nanopore via polymer brushes

Abstract

This work employs Brownian dynamics simulations to study the deceleration of polymer translocation through grafting nanopores. The study found that both grafting density and length positively correlate with the translocation time. The translocation time increases slowly when the grafted chains have not yet formed a blocking layer. However, the translocation time increases rapidly once a blocking layer is formed. Additionally, dual-side grafting exhibits a stronger regulatory effect on polymer translocation than cis-side and trans-side grafting. Notably, the increase in nanopore diameter weakens the regulatory effect of the grafted chains on polymer translocation. Furthermore, when passing through a bare nanopore, the polymer undergoes three stages of motion: acceleration, deceleration, and re-acceleration. The presence of grafted chains reduces the translocation speed, making the polymer's motion in the second stage closer to uniform motion. This study provides new insights into using grafted chains to slow down polymer translocation in nanopores.