Electrophoresis of a polyelectrolyte through a nanopore.
- PubMed: 17155090
Abstract
A hydrodynamic model for determining the electrophoretic speed of a polyelectrolyte through a nanopore is presented. It is assumed that the speed is determined by a balance of electrical and viscous forces arising from within the pore and that classical continuum electrostatics and hydrodynamics may be considered applicable. An explicit formula for the translocation speed as a function of the pore geometry and other physical parameters is obtained and is shown to be consistent with experimental measurements on DNA translocation through nanopores in silicon membranes. Experiments also show a weak dependence of the translocation speed on polymer length that is not accounted for by the present model. It is hypothesized that this is due to secondary effects that are neglected here.
Sign up today - FREE
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research. Learn more
- All your research in one place
- Add and import papers easily
- Access it anywhere, anytime