Active control of transport through nanopores

Abstract

Passive particle transport through narrow channels is well studied, while for active particle systems, it is not well understood. Here, we demonstrate the active control of the transport through a nanopore via mean-field analysis and molecular dynamics simulations. We prove that the active force enhances the transport efficiency with an effective diffusion coefficient $D_{eff} = D_t (1 + Pe^2/6)$, where $D_t$ is the translational diffusion coefficient, and $Pe$ is the P\'{e}clet number that determines the strength of the active force. For the number of particles inside the channel, it experiences subdiffusion at short times and then turns to normal at longer times. Finally, we extend our research for several sinusoidal shapes of the channel surface. More particles are trapped in the channel if the roughness of the channel surface is increased, resulting in fewer particles are transported from one side of the channel to the other.