Polymer Translocation

A reflection of the significant advances in the field, this book discusses the macromolecular basis of polymer translocation that have emerged based on experimentation, new models, and computational approaches. In the first section, the author, and internationally recognized authority and pioneer in the field, summarizes the phenomenon with examples and provides a firm grounding in fundamental concepts. In the final section he talks about implications for basic research and biotechnology, as well as future prospects and challenges ahead. It provides a broadly accessible overview of core principles, experimental protocols, and computer simulations.

Polymer translocation occurs in many biological and biotechnological phenomena where electrically charged polymer molecules move through narrow spaces in crowded environments. Unraveling the rich phenomenology of polymer translocation requires a grasp of modern concepts of polymer physics and polyelectrolyte behavior. Polymer Translocation discusses universal features of polymer translocations and summarizes the key concepts of polyelectrolyte structures, electrolyte solutions, ionic flow, mobility of charged macromolecules, polymer capture by pores, and threading of macromolecules through pores.

With approximately 150 illustrations and 850 equations, the book:

• Avoids heavy mathematics



• Uses examples to illustrate the richness of the phenomenon



• Introduces the entropic barrier idea behind polymer translocation



• Outlines conceptual components necessary for a molecular understanding of polymer translocation



• Provides mathematical formulas for the various quantities pertinent to polymer translocation

The challenge in understanding the complex behavior of translocation of polyelectrolyte molecules arises from three long-range forces due to chain connectivity, electrostatic interactions, and hydrodynamic interactions. Polymer Translocation provides an overview of fundamentals, established experimental facts, and important concepts necessary to understand polymer translocation. Readers will gain detailed strategies for applying these concepts and formulas to the design of new experiments.