Abstract
Polyampholyte gel, frustrated by the conflicting interactions between its positive and negative monomers, can undergo a sharp discontinuous phase transition driven by changing either gel composition or solvent quality and/or permeability. This finding completes the investigation of all four major interactions involved in the biomolecular machinery with respect to their role in the behavior of polymer gels, considered here as a model of biopolymer system. The result also sheds light on the possible role of frustrations in biomolecular systems, such as proteins.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 4863-4865 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | Physical Review Letters |
Volume | 82 |
Issue number | 24 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1999 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Physics and Astronomy(all)