0000000000384530
AUTHOR
Martin Turesson
Calcium mediated polyelectrolyte adsorption on like-charged surfaces.
International audience; Monte Carlo simulations within the primitive model of calcium-mediated adsorption of linear and comb polyelectrolytes onto like-charged surfaces are described, focusing on the effect of calcium and polyion concentrations as well as on the ion pairing between polymers and calcium ions. We use a combination of Monte Carlo simulations and experimental data from titration and calcium binding to quantify the ion pairing. The polymer adsorption is shown to occur as a result of surface overcharging by Ca2+ and ion pairing between charged monomers and Ca2+. In agreement with experimental observations, the simulations predict that the polymer adsorption isotherm goes through …
Monte Carlo Simulations of a Clay Inspired Model Suspension: The Role of Rim Charge
International audience; We present a theoretical investigation of a model clay dispersion in 1-1 salt solutions by varying the particle volume fraction and ionic strength as well as the charge distribution on the clay platelets. The platelets are modeled as discs with charged sites distributed on a hexagonal lattice. The edge sites can be positively charged while the remaining sites are negative giving rise to a strong charge anisotropy. Simulations are carried out using a Monte Carlo method in the canonical ensemble. The interactions between the platelet sites are described with a screened Coulomb potential plus a short range repulsive potential. Simulations show a complex phase behavior. …
Structure and Yielding of Colloidal Silica Gels Varying the Range of Interparticle Interactions.
The relationship between interaction range, structure, fluid-gel transition, and viscoelastic properties of silica dispersions at intermediate volume fraction, Φv ≈ 0.1 and in alkaline conditions, pH = 9 was investigated. For this purpose, rheological, physicochemical, and structural (synchrotron-SAXS) analyses were combined. The range of interaction and the aggregation state of the dispersions were tuned by adding either divalent counterions (Ca(2+)) or polycounterions (PDDA). With increasing calcium chloride concentration, a progressive aggregation was observed which precludes a fluid-gel transition at above 75 mM of calcium chloride. In this case, the aggregation mechanism is driven by s…
Coarse-Graining Intermolecular Interactions in Dispersions of Highly Charged Colloids
International audience; Effective pair potentials between charged colloids, obtained from Monte Carlo simulations of two single colloids in a closed cell at the primitive model level, are shown to reproduce accurately the structure of aqueous salt-free colloidal dispersions, as determined from full primitive model simulations by Linse et al. (Linse, P.; Lobaskin, V. Electrostatic Attraction and Phase Separation in Solutions of Like-Charged Colloidal Particles. Phys. Rev. Lett.1999, 83, 4208). Excellent agreement is obtained even when ion-ion correlations are important and is in principle not limited to spherical particles, providing a potential route to coarse-grained colloidal interactions…
Stability of negatively charged platelets in calcium-rich anionic copolymer solutions.
Controlling the stability of anisotropic particles is key to the development of advanced materials. Here, we report an investigation, by means of mesoscale molecular dynamics simulations, of the stability and structural change of calcium-rich dispersions containing negatively charged nanoplatelets, neutralized by calcium counterions, in the presence of either comb copolymers composed of anionic backbones with attached neutral side chains or anionic-neutral linear block copolymers. In agreement with experimental observations, small stacks of platelets (tactoids) are formed, which are greatly stabilized in the presence of copolymers. In the absence of polymers, tactoids will grow and aggregat…