Adsorption-assisted translocation of a chain molecule through a pore

Abstract

We analyze the free energy for translocation of a polymer from the outside of a spherical vesicle to the inside. The process is assumed to be driven by the adsorption of the polymer on the inner surface of the vesicle. We argue that in the case where the polymer is adsorbed on the outer surface too, the entropic barrier for translocation is absent. We analyze the adsorption process and find the free energy profile for the translocation. We argue that the motion corresponds to a polymer crossing a region with a change in free energy per segment. Based upon our earlier analysis of the behavior of kinks in such a problem, we conclude that the translocation can occur with a crossing time t_trans~N.