Polymer Transport Process through Biological Membranes with Nanometric Pores
V.-P. PĂUN , V. CHIROIU, L. MUNTEANU

Abstract. The process of charged polymer translocation, driven by an external electric potential, through biological membranes with nanopores has been studied. A free energy expression F(m) of a polymer chain of m segments in a semi-infinite space with a hard impenetrable surface at the origin and one end of the polymer permanently anchored at the center of the wall is generally obtained. Finally we derive an expression for the flux J of the polymers through a narrow pore in terms of the free energy F(m), the friction coefficient ξ(m), and in terms of the probability P(m=0, J) that there is a polymer segment at the entrance pore mouth.