TY - JOUR
T1 - Conformational transitions of weak polyacids grafted to nanoparticles
AU - Barr, S. A.
AU - Panagiotopoulos, A. Z.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Grant No. DE-SC0002128). We gratefully acknowledge helpful discussions with Professor Igal Szleifer.
PY - 2012/10/14
Y1 - 2012/10/14
N2 - The charge distribution on polyelectrolytes is a key factor, which controls their conformation and interactions. In weak polyelectrolytes, this distribution is determined by a number of factors, including the solvent conditions and local environment. In this work, we investigate charge distributions of chains end-grafted on a spherical nanoparticle in a salt solution, using grand canonical titration Monte Carlo simulations of a coarse-grained polymer model. In this approach, the ionization state of each polymer bead fluctuates based on the dissociation constant, pH of the solution, and interactions with other particles in the system. We determine charge and polymer conformations as functions of the pH and solvent quality. We compare the results to a fixed charge model and also investigate the role of grafting density and the effect of curvature on the film morphologies.
AB - The charge distribution on polyelectrolytes is a key factor, which controls their conformation and interactions. In weak polyelectrolytes, this distribution is determined by a number of factors, including the solvent conditions and local environment. In this work, we investigate charge distributions of chains end-grafted on a spherical nanoparticle in a salt solution, using grand canonical titration Monte Carlo simulations of a coarse-grained polymer model. In this approach, the ionization state of each polymer bead fluctuates based on the dissociation constant, pH of the solution, and interactions with other particles in the system. We determine charge and polymer conformations as functions of the pH and solvent quality. We compare the results to a fixed charge model and also investigate the role of grafting density and the effect of curvature on the film morphologies.
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U2 - 10.1063/1.4757284
DO - 10.1063/1.4757284
M3 - Article
C2 - 23061858
AN - SCOPUS:84867547839
SN - 0021-9606
VL - 137
JO - Journal of Chemical Physics
JF - Journal of Chemical Physics
IS - 14
M1 - 144704
ER -