Adsorption of highly charged Gaussian polyelectrolytes to oppositely charged surfaces

TL;DR

This paper investigates how highly charged Gaussian polyelectrolytes adsorb onto oppositely charged surfaces, considering effects of salt and geometry, using strong coupling theory to explain phenomena beyond traditional models.

Contribution

It applies strong coupling theory to analyze adsorption of Gaussian polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces, addressing limitations of Poisson-Boltzmann theory in biological contexts.

Findings

Adsorption behavior depends on salt concentration and polymer geometry.

Strong coupling theory captures correlated structures near surfaces.

Different confinement geometries influence adsorption-depletion transitions.

Abstract

In many biological processes highly charged biomolecules are adsorbed into oppositely charged surfaces of macroions and membranes. They form strongly correlated structures close to the surface which can not be explained by the conventional Poisson-Boltzmann theory. Many of the flexible biomolecules can be described by Gaussian polymers. In this work strong coupling theory is used to study the adsorption of highly charged Gaussian polyelectrolytes. Two cases of adsorptions are considered, when the Gaussian polyelectrolytes are confined a) by one charged wall, and b) between two charged walls. The effects of salt and the geometry of the polymers on their adsorption- depletion transitions in the strong coupling regime are discussed.