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arXiv · 2504.02783

Non-linear elasticity effects and stratification in brushes of branched polyelectrolytes

Inna O. Lebedeva·Oleg V. Shavykin·Igor M. Neelov·Ekaterina B. Zhulina·Frans A. M. Leermakers·Oleg V. Borisov
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Abstract

Brushes formed by arm-tethered starlike polyelectrolytes may exhibit internal segregation into weakly and strongly extended populations (stratified two-layer structure) when strong ionic intermolecular repulsions induce stretching of the tethers up to the limit of their extensibility. We propose an approximate Poisson-Boltzmann theory for analysis of the structure of the stratified brush and compare it with results of numerical self-consistent field modelling. Both analytical and numerical models point to formation of a narrow cloud of counterions (internal double electrical layer) localized inside stratified brush at the boundary between the layers.

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Inna O. Lebedeva, Oleg V. Shavykin, Igor M. Neelov, Ekaterina B. Zhulina, Frans A. M. Leermakers, Oleg V. Borisov. 2025-04-03. Non-linear elasticity effects and stratification in brushes of branched polyelectrolytes. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5130580

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