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Title: Electroresponse of weak polyelectrolyte brushes

Journal Article · · European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter (print)

Abstract End-tethered polyelectrolytes are widely used to modify substrate properties, particularly for lubrication or wetting. External stimuli, such as pH, salt concentration, or an electric field, can induce profound structural responses in weak polyelectrolyte brushes, which can be utilized to further tune substrate properties. We study the structure and electroresponsiveness of weak polyacid brushes using an inhomogeneous theory that incorporates both electrostatic and chain connectivity correlations at the Debye–Hückel level. Our calculation shows that a weak polyacid brush swells under the application of a negative applied potential, in agreement with recent experimental observation. We rationalize this behavior using a scaling argument that accounts for the effect of the surface charge. We also show that the swelling behavior has a direct influence on the differential capacitance, which can be modulated by the solvent quality, pH, and salt concentration. Graphical Abstract

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0020347
OSTI ID:
2000194
Journal Information:
European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter (print), Journal Name: European Physical Journal. E, Soft Matter (print) Vol. 46 Journal Issue: 9; ISSN 1292-8941
Publisher:
Springer Science + Business MediaCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
France
Language:
English

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