< Back to Article

Enhancement of Transport Selectivity through Nano-Channels by Non-Specific Competition

Figure 4

Selectivity enhancement in a mixture of two species.

The left panels describe the transport of a weakly trapped species in a titrated mixture with the strongly trapped species, relative to the case when only a weakly trapped species is present. The right panels describe the transport of a strongly trapped species in the same mixture relative to the case when only a strongly trapped species is present. In all panels the total combined flux of the particles is ; log-linear scale in all panels. Transport of weakly trapped particles is inhibited by competition with more strongly trapped ones: panels A, B, C. (A) Efficiency of transport of the weakly trapped species (m) in competition with the strongly trapped species (n), relative to the case when the weakly trapped species is present alone in the same concentration, (B) Probability of translocation through the channel of a particle of the weakly trapped species, relative to the case when they it is present alone in the same concentration, . (C) Probability to enter the channel of the weakly trapped species, relative to the case when it is present alone in the same concentration, . In all panels A, B, C, the blue line represents 1∶1 mixture () and the turqouise line represents 9∶1 excess of the weakly trapped particles (). Transport of the strongly trapped species is enhanced by competition with athe weakly trapped species: panels D, E, F. (D) Efficiency of transport of the strongly trapped species (n) in competition with the weakly trapped ospecies (m), relative to the case when the strongly trapped species is present alone in the same concentration, . (E) Probability of translocation through the channel of the weakly trapped species, relative to the case when it is present alone in the same concentration, . (F) Probability to enter the channel of the weakly trapped species, relative to the case when it is present alone in the same concentration, . In all panels D, E, F, the black line represents 1∶1 mixture () and the gray line represents 9∶1 excess of the weakly trapped particles ().

doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000804.g004