Cohesive energy, stability and structural transitions in polyelectrolyte bundles

Abstract

A lattice of uniformly charged, infinitesimally thin, rods decorated with an ordered array of counterions exhibits anomalous behavior as the spacing between the rods is varied. In particular, the counterion lattice undergoes a sequence of structural shearing, or "tilting," phase transformations as the spacing between the rods decreases. The potential implications of this behavior with respect to the packaging of biologically relevant polyelectrolytic molecules are commented upon.