Issue 32, 2016

Adsorption of flexible polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces

Abstract

Adsorption of weakly charged polyelectrolyte (PE) chains from dilute solution on an oppositely charged surface is studied using the self-consistent mean-field approach. The structure of the adsorbed polymer layer and its excess charge are analyzed in the most important asymptotic and intermediate regimes both analytically and numerically. Different regimes of surface charge compensation by PE chains including partial and full charge inversion are identified and discussed in terms of physical parameters like the magnitude of specific short-range interactions of PE segments with the surface, solvent quality and ionic strength. The effect of excluded-volume monomer interactions is considered quantitatively both in the marginally good and poor solvent regimes.

Graphical abstract: Adsorption of flexible polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 May 2016
Accepted
15 Jul 2016
First published
25 Jul 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Soft Matter, 2016,12, 6771-6787

Adsorption of flexible polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces

A. V. Subbotin and A. N. Semenov, Soft Matter, 2016, 12, 6771 DOI: 10.1039/C6SM01140C

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