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Photo Mikael Lund

Mikael Lund

Professor

Photo Mikael Lund

Steering patchy particles using multivalent electrolytes

Author

  • Alexei Abrikossov
  • Björn Stenqvist
  • Mikael Lund

Summary, in English

Proteins and many recently designed colloids can be regarded as patchy particles where directional interactions strongly influence and govern assembly behavior. Using explicit ion implicit solvent Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate spherical model particles, carrying both charge and electric patches, in dilute aqueous 1 : 1, 1 : 3, and 3 : 1 electrolyte solutions. Striking differences in pair interaction free energies and orientational correlations are induced by three different salts which are discussed and rationalized in terms of ion-binding to surface groups, ion-ion correlations, and double layer forces. These findings suggest a general strategy where directional, intermolecular interactions can be invoked and tuned via small amounts of a carefully chosen electrolyte.

Department/s

  • Physical Chemistry
  • Computational Chemistry

Publishing year

2017

Language

English

Pages

4591-4597

Publication/Series

Soft Matter

Volume

13

Issue

26

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

Royal Society of Chemistry

Topic

  • Physical Chemistry (including Surface- and Colloid Chemistry)

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1744-683X