On the effective charge of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes.
In this paper, we analyze the behavior of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes. It has been proposed that this system adopts a pearl necklace structure reminiscent of the Rayleigh instability of a charged droplet. Using a Poisson-Boltzmann approach, we calculate the counterion distribution around a given pearl, assuming the latter to be penetrable for the counterions. This allows us to calculate the effective electric charge of the pearl as a function of the chemical charge. Our predictions are in good agreement with the recent experimental measurements of the effective charge by Essafi et al. (Essafi, W.; Lafuma, F.; Baigl, D.; Williams, C. E. Europhys. Lett. 2005, 71, 938.). Our results allow us to understand the large deviation from the Manning law observed in these experiments.
Chepelianskii
A
A
Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, UMR CNRS 8502, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
Mohammad-Rafiee
F
F
Trizac
E
E
Raphaël
E
E
D003198:Computer Simulation; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry; D057927:Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions; D008956:Models, Chemical; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
D004573:Electrolytes; D011108:Polymers