Related papers: Multivalent ion effects on electrostatic stability…
We investigate the osmotic (electrostatic) pressure acting on the proteinaceous shell of a generic model of virus-like particles (VLPs), comprising a charged outer shell and a metallic nanoparticle core, coated by a charged layer and bathed…
We investigate electrostatic stability of charged droplets, modeled as permeable, charged spheres, and their encapsidation in thin, arbitrarily charged nano-shells, immersed in a neutralizing asymmetric electrolyte background. The latter…
We perform computational investigations of electrolyte-mediated interactions of charged colloidal particles confined within nanochannels. We investigate the role of discrete ion effects, valence, and electrolyte strength on colloid-wall…
Metal nanoparticles are receiving increased scientific attention owing to their unique physical and chemical properties that make them suitable for a wide range of applications in diverse fields, such as electrochemistry, biochemistry, and…
We investigate the ion distribution and overcharging at charged interfaces with dielectric inhomogeneities in the presence of asymmetric electrolytes containing polyvalent and monovalent ions. We formulate an effective "dressed counterion"…
We study the ionic equilibria and interactions of neutral semi-permeable spherical shells immersed in electrolyte solutions, including polyions. Although the shells are uncharged, only one type of ions of the electrolyte can permeate them,…
The influence of electrostatic interactions on the ordering of sodium ions in Na$_x$CoO$_2$ is studied theoretically through Monte-Carlo simulations. For large $x$ small di- or tri-vacancy clusters are stable with respect to isolated Na…
We study the interaction between two neutral plane-parallel dielectric bodies in the presence of a highly asymmetric ionic fluid, containing multivalent as well as monovalent (salt) ions. Image charge interactions, due to dielectric…
We study electrostatic mechanisms of destabilization of highly asymmetric electrolytes. For this purpose, we perform primitive model Monte Carlo simulations of charged macroions immersed in multivalent salt solution. At low salt…
We present a theoretical description of the effect of polyvalent ions on the interaction between titratable macro-ions. The model system consists of two point-like macro-ions with dissociable sites, immersed in an asymmetric ionic mixture…
A model system is proposed to investigate the chemical equilibrium and mechanical stability of biological spherical-like nanoshells in contact with an aqueous solution with added dissociated electrolyte of a given concentration. The ionic…
We use coarse-grained Monte Carlo simulations to study the elastic properties of charged membranes in solutions of monovalent and pentavalent counterions. The simulation results of the two cases reveal trends opposite to each other. The…
The electrostatic double layer force is key to determining the stability and self-assembly of charged colloids and many other soft matter systems. Fully understanding the attractive force between two like-charged surfaces remains a great…
Electrostatic interaction is the driving force for the encapsulation by virus coat proteins of nanoparticles such as quantum dots, gold particles and magnetic beads for, e.g., imaging and therapeutic purposes. In recent experimental work,…
We characterize the role of electrostatic fluctuations on the charge selectivity of cylindrical nanopores confining electrolyte mixtures. To this end, we develop an extended one-loop theory that can account for correlation effects induced…
Viruses are known to tolerate wide ranges of pH and salt conditions and to withstand internal pressures as high as 100 atmospheres. In this paper we investigate the mechanical properties of viral capsids, calling explicit attention to the…
A variational theory is developed to study electrolyte solutions, composed of interacting point-like ions in a solvent, in the presence of dielectric discontinuities and charges at the boundaries. Three important and non-linear…
We develop a clear theoretical description of radial swelling in virus-like particles which delineates the importance of electrostatic contributions to swelling in absence of any conformational changes. The model couples the elastic…
We have directly observed reversal of the polarity of charged surfaces in water upon the addition of tri- and quadrivalent ions using atomic force microscopy. The bulk concentration of multivalent ions at which charge inversion reversibly…
We examine the limits on viral composition that are set by the electrostatic interactions effected by the charge on the viral proteins, the single-stranded viral RNA molecule and monovalent salt ions in the solution. Within the mean-field…