Figure 3. Comparison of the three different interaction modes.

(a) Potential of mean force (PMF) of nanoparticles as a function of its distance (Z) from the central plane of the lipid bilayer in three different modes. (b)–(d) show the snapshots of final equilibrium of interactions between NPC and membranes under different external pH: (b) N = 1, (c) N = 6, and (d) N = 11. Error bars are obtained by taking the standard derivation of ten independent simulations. In order to distinguish the three modes, we name them as total engulfment type 1 (TE1), blocked engulfment (BE), and total engulfment type 2 (TE2), respectively.