Gradual crossover from subdiffusion to normal diffusion: a many-body effect in protein surface water  

Pan Tan, Yihao Liang, Qin Xu, Eugene Mamontov, Jinglai Li, Xiangjun Xing, Liang Hong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Dynamics of hydration water is essential for the function of biomacromolecules. Previous studies have demonstrated that water molecules exhibit subdiffusion on the surface of biomacromolecules; yet the microscopic mechanism remains vague. Here, by performing neutron scattering, molecular dynamics simulations, and analytic modeling on hydrated perdeuterated protein powders, we found water molecules jump randomly between trapping sites on protein surfaces, whose waiting times obey a broad distribution, resulting in subdiffusion. Moreover, the subdiffusive exponent gradually increases with observation time towards normal diffusion due to a many-body volume-exclusion effect.
Original languageEnglish
Article number248101
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume120
Issue number24
Early online date11 Jun 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Jun 2018

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Gradual crossover from subdiffusion to normal diffusion: a many-body effect in protein surface water  '. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this