Geometry-induced asymmetric diffusion
Schröter M, Shaw RS, Packard N, Swinney HL (2007)
Publication Language: English
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2007
Journal
Publisher: National Academy of Sciences
Book Volume: 104
Pages Range: 9580-9584
Journal Issue: 23
Abstract
Past work has shown that ions can pass through a membrane more readily in one direction than the other. We demonstrate here in a model and an experiment that for a mixture of small and large particles such asymmetric diffusion can arise solely from an asymmetry in the geometry of the pores of the membrane. Our deterministic simulation considers a two-dimensional gas of elastic disks of two sizes diffusing through a membrane, and our laboratory experiment examines the diffusion of glass beads of two sizes through a metal membrane. In both experiment and simulation, the membrane is permeable only to the smaller particles, and the asymmetric pores lead to an asymmetry in the diffusion rates of these particles. The presence of even a small percentage of large particles can clog a membrane, preventing passage of the small particles in one direction while permitting free flow of the small particles in the other direction. The purely geometric kinetic constraints may play a role in common biological contexts such as membrane ion channels. © 2007 by The National Academy of Sciences of the USA.
Authors with CRIS profile
Involved external institutions
United States (USA) (US)How to cite
APA:
Schröter, M., Shaw, R.S., Packard, N., & Swinney, H.L. (2007). Geometry-induced asymmetric diffusion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104(23), 9580-9584. https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0703280104
MLA:
Schröter, Matthias, et al. "Geometry-induced asymmetric diffusion." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104.23 (2007): 9580-9584.
BibTeX: Download