Conformations of a polyelectrolyte chain
Abstract
A self-consistent variational theory for obtaining the size of a polyelectrolyte chain, R, for arbitrary values of the experimentally controllable parameters characterizing a dilute polyelectrolyte solution is derived using the Edwards model for the chain. In appropriate limits the theory reproduces the scaling behavior in a good solvent, a Θ solvent, and a poor solvent. In particular, we show that, if the solvent is sufficiently poor, the size of the polyelectrolyte chain changes abruptly from a swollen state (R~bN3/5, N is the number of monomers, b is the monomer size) to a globule state (R~bN1/3) or from a rodlike configuration (R~Na) to a globule depending on the limiting values of the salt concentration.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review A
- Pub Date:
- September 1992
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevA.46.R3012
- Bibcode:
- 1992PhRvA..46.3012H
- Keywords:
-
- 61.25.-f;
- Studies of specific liquid structures