Nanoparticle Adsorption on a Weak Polyelectrolyte. Stiffness, pH, Charge Mobility, and Ionic Concentration Effects Investigated by Monte Carlo Simulations

Monte Carlo simulations have been used to study two different models for a weak linear polyelectrolyte in the presence of nanoparticles: (i) a rodlike and (ii) a flexible polyelectrolytes. The use of simulated annealing has made it possible to simulate a polyelectrolyte chain in the presence of several nanoparticles by improving conformation sampling and avoiding multiple min. problems when dense conformations are produced. Nanoparticle distributions along the polymer backbone were analyzed vs. the ionic concn., polyelectrolyte stiffness, and nanoparticle surface charge. Titrn. curves were calcd. and the influences of the ionic concn., soln. pH, and no. of adsorbed nanoparticles on the acid/base polyelectrolyte properties have been systematically investigated. The subtle balance of attractive and repulsive interactions has been discussed, and some characteristic conformations are presented. The comparison of the two limit models provides a good representation of the stiffness influence on the complex formation. In some conditions, overcharging was obtained and presented with respect to both the polyelectrolyte and nanoparticle as the central element. Finally, the charge mobility influence along the polyelectrolyte backbone was investigated by considering annealed and quenched polyelectrolyte chains.