中国物理B ›› 2026, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (7): 78701-078701.doi: 10.1088/1674-1056/ae24ed

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Transmembrane transport of polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles into giant vesicles

Shuai He(贺帅), Junxing Pan(潘俊星)†, and Jinjun Zhang(张进军)‡   

  1. Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030000, China
  • 收稿日期:2025-09-12 修回日期:2025-11-20 接受日期:2025-11-27 发布日期:2026-07-07
  • 通讯作者: Junxing Pan, Jinjun Zhang E-mail:panjx@sxnu.edu.cn;zhangjinjun@sxnu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    Project supported by the Construction of a Shanxi Normal University Teaching Reform Project (Grant No. 2025JGXM- 20).

Transmembrane transport of polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles into giant vesicles

Shuai He(贺帅), Junxing Pan(潘俊星)†, and Jinjun Zhang(张进军)‡   

  1. Department of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Shanxi Normal University, Taiyuan 030000, China
  • Received:2025-09-12 Revised:2025-11-20 Accepted:2025-11-27 Published:2026-07-07
  • Contact: Junxing Pan, Jinjun Zhang E-mail:panjx@sxnu.edu.cn;zhangjinjun@sxnu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    Project supported by the Construction of a Shanxi Normal University Teaching Reform Project (Grant No. 2025JGXM- 20).

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摘要： Polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles have significant application value in fields such as gene therapy and targeted drug delivery. A profound understanding of the interaction mechanisms between these particles and cell membranes represents a critical scientific challenge in biophysics. Using the self-consistent field theory (SCFT), this work systematically explores the transmembrane transport of polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles into giant vesicles. The impacts of critical parameters-polymer brush grafting density, nanoparticle size, and giant vesicle membrane thickness-on transport behavior are comprehensively elucidated. The findings reveal two distinct transmembrane transport mechanisms for polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles, which are governed by membrane thickness and grafting density. At high grafting density, the nanoparticles undergo direct transmembrane translocation; at low grafting density, transport occurs via endocytosis. Thermodynamic analysis identifies entropy as the dominant driving force for this process.

关键词: polymer brushes, giant vesicles, self-consistent field, transmembrane transport

Abstract: Polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles have significant application value in fields such as gene therapy and targeted drug delivery. A profound understanding of the interaction mechanisms between these particles and cell membranes represents a critical scientific challenge in biophysics. Using the self-consistent field theory (SCFT), this work systematically explores the transmembrane transport of polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles into giant vesicles. The impacts of critical parameters-polymer brush grafting density, nanoparticle size, and giant vesicle membrane thickness-on transport behavior are comprehensively elucidated. The findings reveal two distinct transmembrane transport mechanisms for polymer brush-grafted nanoparticles, which are governed by membrane thickness and grafting density. At high grafting density, the nanoparticles undergo direct transmembrane translocation; at low grafting density, transport occurs via endocytosis. Thermodynamic analysis identifies entropy as the dominant driving force for this process.

Key words: polymer brushes, giant vesicles, self-consistent field, transmembrane transport

中图分类号:  (Membranes, bilayers, and vesicles)

  • 87.16.D-
82.70.Uv (Surfactants, micellar solutions, vesicles, lamellae, amphiphilic systems, (hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions)) 31.15.xr (Self-consistent-field methods) 87.15.A- (Theory, modeling, and computer simulation)