Transport of a self-propelled tracer through a hairy cylindrical channel: interplay of stickiness and activity

Abstract

Active transport of biomolecules assisted by motor proteins is imperative for the proper functioning of cellular activities. Inspired by the diffusion of active agents in crowded cellular channels, we computationally...

A new framework for computing a general local self-diffusion coefficient using statistical mechanics

“…Similar extensions that are applied for global diffusivity will be required to treat such systems locally. [31][32][33][34] In the systems studied here, this is not an issue. However, for other systems examination of the convergence of the integrals could be used to identify regions of the system where diffusion is anomalous.…”

Passive and active tracer dynamics in polymer solutions with isotropic-to-nematic phase transition

“…Note that in a very recent work, Sahoo et al presented a very inspiring study for tracer diffusion in 3D in a crowded medium. 63 For polymer solutions in three dimensions, the structural property and nematic order transition can be more complicated. Meanwhile, the probability of collisions between a probed particle and polymers can be reduced, leading to different trapping and caging effects on the particle.…”

In Silico Studies of Active Probe Dynamics in Crowded Media

“… 15 In contrast, the dynamics shows a non-Gaussian behavior with a broader probability density profile as a function of increasing F a due to the self-propelled motion of the probe. 15 The self-propelled probe transport can provide useful insights into the active transport facilitated by biological pumps or motor molecules. 16 A deeper understanding of the transport mechanism will help scientists to design hybrid biosynthetic nano- or microtransporters by incorporating motor proteins into artificial systems.…”

“…To investigate the dynamics of active agents through such a crowded channel, a spherical self-propelled particle in a cylindrical channel with polymers grafted on the inner wall is studied ( Figure 10 ). 15 The cylindrical channel of height 24σ and radius 9σ is grafted with a total of 75 polymer chains, each containing 12 monomers of diameter σ, and is connected by FENE potential ( eq 1 ) ( Figure 10 ). The maximum displacement of the bond connecting the neighboring monomers is r max = 5σ with the stiffness constant k f = 7.…”