The effect of shear flow on the conformation of polyelectrolyte brushes

The behavior of flat polyelectrolyte brushes under the action of a lateral force or flow was studied. Special attention was focused on the case when a lateral force acts on a brush that occurs near the point of phase transition from the swollen state to the collapsed state. The difference between phase transitions in a brush induced by isotropic and anisotropic interactions is analyzed. As examples of such transitions, the collapse of a polyelectrolyte brush upon cooling and the nematic collapse of an anisotropic brush are considered. It was shown that lateral force (flow), exerting a marked effect on the nematic collapse of an anisotropic brush, has no practical effect on the collapse of a brush with isotropic interactions.