Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 7-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Transfer matrix theory of polymer complex coacervation

Transfer matrix theory of polymer complex coacervation Oppositely charged polyelectrolytes can undergo a macroscopic, associative phase separation in solution, via a process known as complex coacervation. Significant recent effort has gone into providing a clear, physical picture of coacervation; most work has focused on improving the field theory picture that emerged from the classical Voorn–Overbeek theory. These methods have persistent issues, however, resolving the molecular features that have been shown to play a major role in coacervate thermodynamics. In this paper, we outline a theoretical approach to coacervation based on a transfer matrix formalism that is an alternative to traditional field-based approaches. We develop theoretical arguments informed by experimental observation and simulation, which serve to establish an analytical expression for polymeric complex coacervation that is consistent with the molecular features of coacervate phases. The analytical expression provided by this theory is in a form that can be incorporated into more complicated theoretical or simulation formalisms, and thus provides a starting point for understanding coacervate-driven self-assembly or biophysics. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Soft Matter Royal Society of Chemistry

Transfer matrix theory of polymer complex coacervation

Lytle, Tyler K.; Sing, Charles E.
Royal Society of Chemistry — Oct 11, 2017
Download PDF
12 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/royal-society-of-chemistry/transfer-matrix-theory-of-polymer-complex-coacervation-PiRZmFbsV5

References (55)

Datasource
Royal Society of Chemistry
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Oppositely charged polyelectrolytes can undergo a macroscopic, associative phase separation in solution, via a process known as complex coacervation. Significant recent effort has gone into providing a clear, physical picture of coacervation; most work has focused on improving the field theory picture that emerged from the classical Voorn–Overbeek theory. These methods have persistent issues, however, resolving the molecular features that have been shown to play a major role in coacervate thermodynamics. In this paper, we outline a theoretical approach to coacervation based on a transfer matrix formalism that is an alternative to traditional field-based approaches. We develop theoretical arguments informed by experimental observation and simulation, which serve to establish an analytical expression for polymeric complex coacervation that is consistent with the molecular features of coacervate phases. The analytical expression provided by this theory is in a form that can be incorporated into more complicated theoretical or simulation formalisms, and thus provides a starting point for understanding coacervate-driven self-assembly or biophysics.

Journal

Soft Matter – Royal Society of Chemistry

Published: Oct 11, 2017

There are no references for this article.