Abstract:
The classical instability of a charged spherical droplet is reconsidered in the presence of counterions. An ensemble of such droplets is studied within a simplified cell model. Screening of the electric field by the counterions is found to increase the equilibrium droplet size. Furthermore, if the ions can enter the droplet, a first-order phase transition occurs upon increasing Bjerrum length, surface tension or droplet density, leading to a phase separation. Simple scaling properties of the free energy give the shape of the phase boundary and show the system to be scale-invariant there. Pearl-necklace structures of hydrophobic polyelectrolytes are discussed as an application.
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Received 30 August 2001
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Deserno, M. Rayleigh instability of charged droplets in the presence of counterions. Eur. Phys. J. E 6, 163–168 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s101890170018
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s101890170018