Multivalent Ion-Mediated Attraction between Like-Charged Colloidal Particles: Nonmonotonic Dependence on the Particle Charge.

ABSTRACT: Ion-mediated effective interactions are important for the structure and stability of charged particles such as colloids and nucleic acids. It has been known that the intrinsic electrostatic repulsion between like-charged particles can be modulated into effective attraction by multivalent ions. In this work, we examined the dependence of multivalent ion-mediated attraction between like-charged colloidal particles on the particle charge in a wide range by extensive Monte Carlo simulations. Our calculations show that for both divalent and trivalent salts, the effective attraction between like-charged colloidal particles becomes stronger with the increase of the particle charge, whereas it gradually becomes weakened when the particle charge exceeds a "critical" value. Correspondingly, as the p

SUBMITTER: Lin C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8047654 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature