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MST colloquium

Description: MST Colloquium Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Speaker: Prof. Michael Rubinstein

Affiliation: Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Title: Double-Semidilute Coacervates formed by Oppositely Charged Polyelectrolytes

Location: Computer Science Department, room A115 (ground floor), Voutes

Time: 11.00

Language: English

Abstract
We develop a scaling model for two qualitatively different classes of coacervates formed by oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. The weakly
interacting coacervates are liquids with electrostatic interaction energy per charge less than thermal energy kT.The strongly interacting
coacervates are gels with cross-links formed by ion pairs of opposite charges attracting each other with energy stronger than kT. The liquid
coacervate is a double-semidilute solution with two correlation lengths and two qualitatively different types of conformations of weaker and
stronger charged polyelectrolytes. Weaker charged chains form a screening “coat” around stronger charged chains. The conformations of
weaker charged chains in this screening coat is analogous to a semidilute solution of uncharged polymers. The conformation of stronger
charged polyelectrolytes in liquid coacervates is similar to their conformation in semidilute polyelectrolyte solutions. The strongly
interacting coacervates form bottlebrush gels for longer polyelectrolytes with higher charge density and star-like gels for shorter higher charge density chains.

Host: Dimitris Vlassopoulos 1469
Location: Computer Science Department, room A115 (ground floor), Voutes
Status: Waiting for approval
Date: Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Time: 11:00-12:00 EEST
Duration: 1 hour
Priority: 5-Medium
Access: Public
Created by: Lila Kalogeraki
Updated: Monday, May 21, 2018 13:11 GMT