Polymer translocation occurs in many biological and biotechnological phenomena where electrically charged polymer molecules move through narrow spaces in crowded environments. Unraveling the rich phenomenology of polymer translocation requires a grasp of modern concepts of polymer physics and polyelectrolyte behavior. Polymer Translocation discusses universal features of polymer translocations and summarizes the key concepts of polyelectrolyte structures, electrolyte solutions, ionic flow, mobility of charged macromolecules, polymer capture by pores, and threading of macromolecules through pores.

With approximately 150 illustrations and 850 equations, the book:

• Avoids heavy mathematics



• Uses examples to illustrate the richness of the phenomenon



• Introduces the entropic barrier idea behind polymer translocation



• Outlines conceptual components necessary for a molecular understanding of polymer translocation



• Provides mathematical formulas for the various quantities pertinent to polymer translocation

The challenge in understanding the complex behavior of translocation of polyelectrolyte molecules arises from three long-range forces due to chain connectivity, electrostatic interactions, and hydrodynamic interactions. Polymer Translocation provides an overview of fundamentals, established experimental facts, and important concepts necessary to understand polymer translocation. Readers will gain detailed strategies for applying these concepts and formulas to the design of new experiments.

Muthukumar's book meticulously builds on well-presented fundamental polymer physics in order to be able to provide a firm theoretical basis for understanding the physics of translocation ? a well-thought out book, superbly written, and thus bound to remain a standard in the field.
-Journal of Biological Physics, September 2012

I like very much the way theoretical ideas are presented and compared with experiments. I think this book will be a valuable source of information for anyone investigating polymer transport processes.
-Professor Anatoly B. Kolomeisky, Rice University

Muthu's incisive work beautifully clarifies the issues in polymer translocation. He offers cogent explanations of several experimental phenomena and indicates where our reasoning remains murky.
-Hagan Bayley, Professor of Chemical Biology, University of Oxford, UK

It is a truly outstanding book! The author has covered a surprisingly broad range of physical questions that refer to both polymers and ion channels. The contents quickly but carefully ascend from the beautifully presented basics up to ? advanced theoretical treatments. This book is a must read for everyone who wants to get a steadfast grip over the physics of channel-facilitated polymer transport.
-Sergey M. Bezrukov, Ph.D., Senior Investigator and Section Chief, NICHD, National Institutes of Health