Carbon nanotube as a gramicidin analogue
Date
2011
Authors
Hilder, Tamsyn
Chung, Shin-Ho
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Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
We have designed a carbon nanotube that is selectively permeable to monovalent cations, binds divalent cations and rejects anions. The nanotubes, with an effective radius of 4.53 and length of 36 , are terminated with hydrogen atoms and are exohydrogenated in two regions near the entrance and exit. Using molecular and stochastic dynamics simulations we examine the free energy, current-voltage-concentration profiles and ion binding sites. The characteristics of this channel are comparable to the antibiotic gramicidin-A, but the potassium current is six times larger. At 40 mM calcium concentration the current is reduced from 26 pA to 4 pA due to a calcium ion binding at the channel entrance.
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Keywords
Keywords: Calcium concentration; Calcium ions; Channel entrances; Concentration profiles; Current voltage; Divalent cation; Effective radius; Hydrogen atoms; Ion binding sites; Monovalent cations; Potassium currents; Stochastic dynamics; Binding sites; Biochemistry
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Source
Chemical Physics Letters
Type
Journal article
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Restricted until
2037-12-31
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