Amir Amini, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005 and Marc A. Robert, Rice Quantum Institute, and Richard E. Smally Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005.
The tracer-diffusion coefficient of a linear flexible polymer in a narrow cylindrical channel is calculated. The polymer is treated as a Gaussian chain in the external field established by neighboring colloids considered as hard obstacles. The approach is based on the Kirkwood equation, in which the hydrodynamic interactions are taken into account approximately. Monomer-nonomer correlation function is obtained via a self-consistent mean-field method.