Theory of Transport of Long Polymer Molecules through Carbon Nanotube Channels

Chenyu Wei and Deepak Srivastava
Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 235901 – Published 5 December 2003

Abstract

A theory of transport of long chain polymer molecules through carbon nanotube (CNT) channels is developed using the Fokker-Planck equation and direct molecular dynamics simulations. The mean transport or translocation time τ is found to depend on the chemical potential energy, the entropy, and the diffusion coefficient. A power law dependence τN2 is found, where N is the number of monomers in a molecule. For 105-unit long polyethylene molecules, τ is estimated to be 1μs. The diffusion coefficient of long polymer molecules inside CNTs, like that of short ones, is found to be a few orders of magnitude larger than in ordinary silicate based zeolite systems.

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  • Received 28 May 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.91.235901

©2003 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Chenyu Wei* and Deepak Srivastava

  • NASA Ames Research Center, MS 229-1, Moffett Field, California 94035, USA

  • *Electronic address: cwei@nas.nasa.gov

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Vol. 91, Iss. 23 — 5 December 2003

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