Structure of a 3-component polyelectrolyte solution model with dimerizing counterions and coions

✍ Scribed by Yu.V. Kalyuzhnyi; M.Yu. Druchok

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 298 KB
• Volume: 92
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0167-7322
• DOI: 10.1016/s0167-7322(01)00181-7

✦ Synopsis

The effect of dimerization between counterions and/or coions on the structure of the three-component primitive model of polyelectrolyte solution is studied using the integral equation technique for associating fluids. The three-component system contains large and highly charged macroions, intermediate size and charge coions and small monovalent couuterions. In addition to the Coulomb forces, the counterions and coions also interact via short-range directional attractive forces which cause the formation of the dimers. It is demonstrated that dimerization effects are primarily of electrostatic origin and can be seen at lower concentrations. For the higher concentration regime, dimerization of the coions does not appreciably change correlation between the particles. In particular, the depletion interaction between the macroions, which is of packing origin, is not effected by the dimerization of the coions. The effect of the macroionic charge on the dimerization of the counterions is also studied. It is shown, that the increase of the macroionic charge causes the dimerization process to be more intensive.