Chandrasekhar Hall

Dipole-driven Self-assembly and Dynamics in Solutions of Charged Macromolecules

Murugappan Muthukumar

University of Masschusetts, Amherst

Control of self-assembled structures of charged macromolecules in aqueous solutions is vital in myriads of natural phenomena. However, a fundamental understanding of the various phenomena exhibited by charged macromolecules is one of the grand challenges in the domains of living matter, biomimicry, and healthcare. The origin of this challenge lies in the simultaneous occurrence of three long-range forces from electrostatics, topology of polymer connectivity, and hydrodynamics. As a result, charged macromolecules exhibit extraordinary behavior unseen in uncharged molecules. Several of these phenomena can be attributed to the dominance of dipole-dipole interaction over monopole-monopole interaction. We will present basic concepts and address structure, dynamics, and transport in a few systems that include biomolecular condensates, polyzwitterions, and intrinsically disordered proteins.