Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
21
pubmed:dateCreated
2008-10-28
pubmed:abstractText
Interactions of oppositely charged macroions in aqueous solution give rise to intriguing aggregation phenomena, resulting in finite-size, long-lived clusters, characterized by a quite narrow size distribution. Particularly, the adsorption of highly charged linear polyelectrolytes on oppositely charged colloidal particles is strongly correlated and some short-range order arises from competing electrostatic interactions between like-charged polymer chains (repulsion) and between polymer chains and particle surface (attraction). In these systems, in an interval of concentrations around the isoelectric point, relatively large clusters of polyelectrolyte-decorated particles form. However, the mechanisms that drive the aggregation and stabilize, at the different polymer/particle ratios, a well-defined size of the aggregates are not completely understood. Nor is clear the role that the correlated polyion adsorption plays in the aggregation, although the importance of "patchy interactions" has been stressed as the possible source of attractive interaction term between colloidal particles. Different models have been proposed to explain the formation of the observed cluster phase. However, a central question still remains unanswered, i.e., whether the clusters are true equilibrium or metastable aggregates. To elucidate this point, in this work, we have investigated the effect of the temperature on the cluster formation. We employed liposomes built up by DOTAP lipids interacting with a simple anionic polyion, polyacrylate sodium salt, over an extended concentration range below and above the isoelectric condition. Our results show that the aggregation process can be described by a thermally activated mechanism.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:status
PubMed-not-MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0743-7463
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
4
pubmed:volume
24
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
12181-8
pubmed:year
2008
pubmed:articleTitle
Effect of temperature on the reentrant condensation in polyelectrolyte-liposome complexation.
pubmed:affiliation
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article