title: Effect of low-molecular-weight salt on the nematic ordering in solutions of rodlike polyelectrolytes.
abstract: Nematic ordering is studied in solutions of rodlike macroions in the presence of monovalent salt ions. The correlation free energy of electrostatic interactions is calculated within the framework of the Debye-Hückel approach. The phase diagram of the system is obtained. We have shown that the addition of salt destroys the weakly ordered nematic phase which is stable at small polymer concentrations. On the other hand, the salt widens the region of the phase separation between the isotropic (or weakly ordered nematic) and the highly ordered nematic phases at high polymer concentrations. An explanation of these effects is proposed.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, Moscow State University, Moscow 119992, Russia. igor@polly.phys.msu.ru
authors.forename: Igor I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Potemkin
authors.forename: Nikolay N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Oskolkov
authors.forename: Alexei R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Khokhlov
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reineker