Time Resolved Studies of Bundle Formation in Rod-Like Polyelectrolytes

ORAL

Abstract

It is known that multivalent ions can generate attractions between like-charged polyelectrolytes in a wide range of systems. We find that sparteine, a chiral divalent cation, can condense polyelectrolytes in a temperature dependent manner. The condensation behavior of the fd virus, a negatively charged polyelectrolyte, can be modulated by tuning the sparteine mediated attraction via temperature. Moreover, we use real-time fluorescence microscopy imaging to study the temporal evolution of bundle formation.

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Authors

  • John C. Butler

    • Department of Materials Science \& Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering

  • Tommy Angelini

    • Department of Physics

  • Gerard C. L. Wong

    • Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, Physics and Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science \& Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
    • Department of Materials Science \& Engineering, Department of Physics, Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois