Frontiers of Materials Science Lecture

Christos N. Likos

Institute for Theoretical Physics
Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf

Conformations and Interactions of Star-Branched Polyelectrolytes in the Bulk and Under Confinement

Tuesday, March 13, 2007
3:00 pm
David Rittenhouse Laboratory, Room A8

Soft matter is characterized by the mesoscopic dimensions of the complex macromolecules involved, which are dissolved in a microscopic solvent; polymers and colloids are eminent examples thereof. A particularly rich system that combines aspects of polymeric, colloidal and charged matter are star-branched polyelectrolytes, which constitute model soft colloids with a great span of possible applications. In this talk, we will quantitatively analyze the conformations and coarse-grained interactions of such aggregates in the bulk. Further, we will discuss the rich morphological changes that take place when these are brought under the influence of external fields, presenting similarities to vesicles, and the complexes formed with oppositely charged, hard colloidal particles.