Effective macroion-macroion potentials in asymmetric electrolytes

Phys Rev E Stat Nonlin Soft Matter Phys. 2001 Feb;63(2 Pt 1):020401. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevE.63.020401. Epub 2001 Jan 9.

Abstract

Effective macroion-macroion potentials in solutions of macroions carrying 60 elementary charges and either monovalent or divalent counterions have been calculated at different concentrations by means of Monte Carlo simulations with a consequent inversion of radial distribution functions according to Lyubartsev and Laaksonen [Phys. Rev. E 52, 3730 (1995)]. With monovalent counterions, the effective potentials are essentially of a Yukawa type, whereas with divalent ones, an attractive region appears at short separation. A charge renormalization scheme invoking the cell model and the assumption of a Yukawa-type potential works favorably only in the case of monovalent counterions.

MeSH terms

  • Biophysical Phenomena
  • Biophysics
  • Electrolytes / chemistry*
  • Ions*
  • Monte Carlo Method

Substances

  • Electrolytes
  • Ions