Related papers: Hydration Mimicry by Membrane Ion Channels
We construct a mean-field formulation of the thermodynamics of ion solvation in immiscible polar binary mixtures. Assuming an equilibrium planar interface separating two semi-infinite regions of different constant dielectric medium, we…
A well known, if little documented, problem in many molecular simulations of aqueous ionic solutions at finite concentrations is that unrealistic cation-cation associations are frequently found. One might suspect a defect in the ion-ion…
Selective ion transport is a hallmark of biological ion channel behavior but is a major challenge to engineer into artificial membranes. Here, we demonstrate, with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, that bare graphene nanopores yield…
New experiments for water at the surface of proteins at very low temperature display intriguing dynamic behaviors. The extreme conditions of these experiments make it difficult to explore the wide range of thermodynamic state points needed…
One of the most promising applications in nanoscience is the design of new materials to improve water permeability and selectivity of nanoporous membranes. Understanding the molecular architecture behind these fascinating structures and how…
Ion hydration structure and free energy establish criteria for understanding selective ion binding in potassium K+ ion channels, and may be significant to understanding blocking mechanisms as well. Recently, we investigated the hydration…
Lipid bilayers forming biological membranes are known to behave as viscous 2D fluids on submicrometer scales; usually they contain a large number of active protein inclusions. Recently, it has been shown [Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 112,…
Aqueous solutions of LiCl are probably the most studied electrolyte solutions related to the complexity of liquid water at low temperatures. Despite the large amount of available experimental data hardly any computational studies were…
We investigate the behavior of hydrated sulfonated polysulfones over a range of ion contents through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations.…
We investigate the structural similarities between liquid water and 53 ices, including 20 knowncrystalline phases. We base such similarity comparison on the local environments that consist of atoms within a certain cutoff radius of a…
In living cells, protein-rich condensates can wet the cell membrane and surfaces of membrane-bound organelles. Interestingly, many phase-separating proteins also bind to membranes leading to a molecular layer of bound molecules. Here we…
The molecular mechanism of ion channel gating and substrate modulation is elusive for many voltage gated ion channels, such as eukaryotic sodium ones. The understanding of channel functions is a pressing issue in molecular biophysics and…
It has long been an aspirational goal to create artificial structures that allow fast permeation of water but reject even the smallest hydrated ions, replicating the feat achieved by nature in protein channels (e.g., aquaporins). Despite…
We investigate structural and thermodynamic properties of aqueous dispersions of ionic microgels -- soft colloidal gel particles that exhibit unusual phase behavior. Starting from a coarse-grained model of microgel macroions as charged…
Complex fluids flow in complex ways in complex structures. Transport of water and various organic and inorganic molecules in the central nervous system are important in a wide range of biological and medical processes [C. Nicholson, and S.…
Continuum simulation is employed to study ion transport and fluid flow through a nanopore in a solid-state membrane under an applied potential drop. Results show the existence of concentration polarization layers on the surfaces of the…
On the basis of the experimental data we suggest that water monomers could be trapped in channels running through ice-like clusters in water. Our argument relies on a simple model that describes the motion of a dipole particle inside a…
We consider an electrolyte solution confined by semipermeable membranes in contact with a salt-free solvent. Membranes are uncharged, but since small counter-ions leak-out into infinite salt-free reservoirs, we observe a distance-dependent…
Graphene-based laminates, with ultralong and tortuous nanocapillaries formed by simply stacking graphene flakes together, have great promises in filtration and separation. However, the information on liquid water trans-membrane permeation…
Gas hydrates are of great relevance to both the oil industry and the environment. Understanding how these solid structures nucleate from aqueous solutions is essential to controlling their formation. Experimental studies have often…