Related papers: A variational approach to necklaces formation in p…
A lattice of uniformly charged, infinitesimally thin, rods decorated with an ordered array of counterions exhibits anomalous behavior as the spacing between the rods is varied. In particular, the counterion lattice undergoes a sequence of…
We have analyzed the equilibrium response of chain molecules to stretching. For a homogeneous sequence of monomers, the induced transition from compact globule to extended coil below the $\theta$-temperature is predicted to be sharp. For…
We investigate the complexation of a highly charged sphere with a long flexible polyelectrolyte, \textit{both negatively charged} in salt free environment. Electroneutrality is insured by the presence of divalent counterions. Using…
The effective elasticity of highly charged stiff polyelectrolytes is studied in the presence of counterions, with and without added salt. The rigid polymer conformations may become unstable due to an effective attraction induced by…
We study the bending rigidity of highly charged stiff polyelectrolytes, for both a single chain and many chains forming a bundle. A theory is developed to account for the interplay between competitive binding of counterions and charge…
The presence of ordered structures such as helices in collapsed states of polymer chains is still an open question challenging physics and biology. In this work, we present a potential model for polymer chains with monomers that are not…
In this article, a novel cluster analysis algorithm was employed in the study of polymer coil to globule transition via single chain Monte Carlo simulations. The algorithm, which has been recently applied in Molecular Dynamics simulations…
Engineered nanoparticles made from noble metals, rare-earth oxides or semiconductors are emerging as the central constituents of future nanotech developments. In this review, a survey of the complexing strategies between nanoparticles and…
The interplay between electrostatic interactions and orientational correlations is studied for a model system of charged rods positioned on a chain, using Monte Carlo simulation techniques. It is shown that the coupling brings about the…
The collapse kinetics of strongly charged polyelectrolytes in poor solvents is investigated by Langevin simulations and scaling arguments. The rate of collapse increases sharply as the valence of counterions, z, increases from one to four.…
Polyelectrolytes such as single and double stranded DNA and many synthetic polymers undergo two structural transitions upon increasing the concentration of multivalent salt or molecules. First, the expanded-stretched chains in low…
The complexation between a semiflexible polyelectrolyte and an oppositely charged macroion leads to a multitude of structures ranging from tight complexes with the chain wrapped around the macroion to open multileafed rosette-like…
If many micelles adsorb onto the same polymer molecule then they are said to form a necklace. A minimal model of such a necklace is proposed and shown to be almost equivalent to a 1-dimensional fluid with nearest-neighbour interactions. The…
A kinetic Monte Carlo approach is applied to studying shape instability of nanowires that results in their breaking up into chains of nanoparticles. Our approach can be used to explore dynamical features of the process that correspond to…
The ground state of randomly charged polyampholytes is conjectured to have a structure similar to a necklace, made of weakly charged parts of the chain, compacting into globules, connected by highly charged stretched `strings'. We suggest a…
Stretching dynamics of polymers in microfluidics is of particular interest for polymer scientists. As a charged polymer, a polyelectrolyte can be deformed from its coiled equilibrium configuration to an extended chain by applying uniform or…
We consider the phase behavior of polymeric systems by calculating the structure factors beyond the Random Phase Approximation. The effect of this correction to the mean-field RPA structure factor is shown to be important in the case of…
The collapse of flexible polyelectrolytes in a solution of multivalent counterions is studied by means of a two state model. The states correspond to rod-like and spherically collapsed conformations respectively. We focus on the very dilute…
We analyze solutions of strongly charged chains bridged by linkers such as multivalent ions. The gelation induced by the strong short range electrostatic attractions is dramatically suppressed by the long range electrostatic correlations…
Complexation of a long flexible polyelectrolyte (PE) molecule with oppositely charged spherical particles such as colloids, micelles, or globular proteins in a salty water solution is studied. PE binds spheres winding around them, while…