Adsorption of a polyampholyte on a charged spherical particle

We develop a scaling theory for a single polyampholyte chain adsorbed$$non a charged spherical particle in a theta-solvent. Adsorption of$$na polyampholyte molecule is doe to its polarization in the electrostatic$$nfield of the particle. For large particles with sizes exceeding the$$nthickness of the adsorbed layer, the conformation of the chain are$$nsimilar to the one found for polyampholyte adsorption on charged$$nplanar surface. However, an adsorbed polyampholyte chain forms a$$nself-similar flower-like structure near the particles with sizes$$nsmaller than its Gaussian size. These self-similar structures result$$nfrom the balance of the polarization energy of loops and the excluded$$nvolume interactions between monomers The structure of an adsorbed$$npolyampholyte in the flower-like conformation is similar to that$$nof a neutral star polymer.

Duke Scholars

Author Michael Rubinstein Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materia ...