Variational theory for a single polyelectrolyte chain revisited

The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
M Manghi, R R Netz

Abstract

We reconsider the electrostatic contribution to the persistence length, le, of a single, infinitely long-charged polymer in the presence of screening. A Gaussian variational method is employed, taking le as the only variational parameter. For weakly charged and flexible chains, crumpling occurs at small length scales because conformational fluctuations overcome electrostatic repulsion. The electrostatic persistence length depends on the square of the screening length, le approximately kappa(-2), as first argued by Khokhlov and Khachaturian by applying the Odijk-Skolnick-Fixman (OSF) theory to a string of crumpled blobs. We compare our approach to previous theoretical works (including variational formulations) and show that the result le approximately kappa(-2), found by several authors comes from the improper use of a cutoff at small length scales. For highly charged and stiff chains, crumpling does not occur; here we recover the OSF result and validate the perturbative calculation for slightly bent rods.

References

Sep 1, 1996·Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics·U Micka, K Kremer
Apr 24, 2002·Physical Review. E, Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics·T T NguyenB I Shklovskii
Sep 21, 2002·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·T T Nguyen, B I Shklovskii
Mar 11, 2004·The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter·R EveraersV Yamakov
Mar 11, 2004·The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter·R R Netz, H Orland

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Dec 29, 2011·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Huimin ChenLois Pollack
Jun 27, 2012·The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter·P BačováK Procházka
Oct 27, 2012·The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter·Manoel ManghiJohn Palmeri
Aug 28, 2014·The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter·V M de Oliveira, S J de Carvalho
Oct 18, 2015·Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta·V CassinaF Mantegazza
Jun 30, 2016·Nanoscale·Lucie GrebikovaMichal Borkovec
Mar 3, 2017·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Kevin Shen, Zhen-Gang Wang
Oct 21, 2009·Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal·Andrey V Dobrynin, Jan-Michael Y Carrillo
Feb 21, 2006·Physical Review Letters·G CaliskanD Thirumalai
Aug 8, 2016·Polymers·Jörg BaschnagelAlbert Johner
May 16, 2018·Physical Review. E·A V ZampetakiP Schmelcher
Nov 6, 2018·The Journal of Chemical Physics·Mark J StevensOmar A Saleh
Jun 19, 2013·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·Anil Kumar DasannaManoel Manghi
Jan 15, 2011·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·Dong-Wook KohJuyeon Yi
Feb 13, 2010·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Marshall Fixman
Oct 17, 2014·The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B·Andrei L KolesnikovEvgenij A Nogovitsyn

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
R EveraersV Yamakov
The European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter
R R Netz, H Orland
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
R M FuossS Lifson
Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
T T Nguyen, B I Shklovskii
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved