Polyelectrolytes polarization in non-uniform electric fields

Abstract

Stretching dynamics of polymers in microfluidics is of particular interest for polymer scientists. As a charged polymer, a polyelectrolyte can be deformed from its coiled equilibrium configuration to an extended chain by applying uniform or non-uniform electric fields. By means of hybrid lattice Boltzmann-molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate how the condensed counterions around the polyelectrolyte contribute to the polymer stretching in inhomogeneous fields. As an application, we discuss the translocation phenomena and entropic traps, when the driving force is an applied external electric field.