The curvature elasticity of a polyelectrolyte brush monolayer attached to curved surface is investigated theoretically. An analytical method based on the strong-stretching theory for a Gaussian chain is developed to calculate the elastic modulus induced by a polyelectrolyte brush. In particular, the scaling relations for the bending or Gaussian modulus with respect to system parameters related ...

This paper presents measurements, using the surface force balance (SFB), of the normal and shear forces in aqueous solutions between polyelectrolyte layers grown directly on mica substrates (grafted-from). The grafting-from was via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (surface-initiated ATRP) using a positively charged methacrylate monomer. X-ray reflectometry measurements con...

We investigated the effect of counterion valence on the structure and swelling behavior of polyelectrolyte brushes using a nonlocal density functional theory that accounts for the excluded-volume effects of all ionic species and intrachain and electrostatic correlations. It was shown that charge correlation in the presence of multivalent counterions results in collapse of a polyelectrolyte brus...

Modified carbon spheres (CSPBs) were obtained by grafting poly(diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride) (p-DMDAAC) on the surface of carbon spheres (CSs). It can be viewed as a kind of cation spherical polyelectrolyte brushes (CSPBs), which consist of carbon spheres as core and polyelectrolytes as shell. The method of synthesizing carbon spheres was hydrothermal reaction. Before the polyelectrolyte ...

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films have become very popular for surface functionalization and the design of functional architectures such as hollow polyelectrolyte capsules. It is known that properties such as permeability to small ionic solutes are strongly dependent on the buildup regime of the PEM films. This permeability can be modified by tuning the ionization degree of the polycations...

This paper explores the interaction mechanism between the conjugated polyelectrolyte {[9,9-bis(6'-N,N,N-trimethylammonium)hexyl]fluorene-phenylene}bromide (HTMA-PFP) and model lipid membranes. The study was carried out using different biophysical techniques, mainly fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. Results show that despite the preferential interaction of HTMA-PFP with anionic lipids, H...

DNA complex has been widely used as non-viral vectors for the delivery of genes or siRNA. Owing to the strong and long-ranged electrostatic interaction, the structure and property of the DNA complex should evolve with time in a long-term. To test this hypothesis, we choose 2000 bp double-stranded DNA and 21 bp oligonucleotide as the model molecules, and comparatively studied their complexation ...

We study the effective interaction between differently charged polyelectrolyte-colloid complexes in electrolyte solutions via Monte Carlo simulations. These complexes are formed when short and flexible polyelectrolyte chains adsorb onto oppositely charged colloidal spheres, dispersed in an electrolyte solution. In our simulations the bending energy between adjacent monomers is small compared to...

Layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte adsorption is a simple, convenient method for introducing ion-exchange sites in porous membranes. This study demonstrates that adsorption of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-containing films at pH 3 rather than pH 5 increases the protein-binding capacity of such polyelectrolyte-modified membranes 3-6-fold. The low adsorption pH generates a high density of -COOH groups tha...

The present study demonstrates that multivalent counterions trigger adsorption of polyelectrolytes on a like-charged substrate. In particular, adsorption of polystyrene sulfonate on silica is studied experimentally in NaCl, MgCl2, and LaCl3 solutions by optical reflectivity. While adsorption is negligible in the presence of Na(+), the polyelectrolyte adsorbs in the presence of Mg(2+) and La(3+)...