COIL TO ROD TRANSITIONS IN MONTE-CARLO SIMULATIONS OF A SHORT POLYELECTROLYTE .2. NATURAL SCREENING AND A NEW THERMAL EFFECT

A new thermal effect appears in a Monte Carlo simulation of a system of a single short polyelectrolyte chain together with counter ions in a dielectric continuum solvent. Interactions are taken to be Coulombic and the behavior at various temperatures is investigated. A "natural" screening effect is compared to the Debye-Hückel screening effect which was described in a previous article. Great differences between these effects are observed at 0 < C < 1 M, indicating the existence of counter ion condensation near the polyion, thus creating two kinds of concentrations: that in the bulk and that in the vicinity of the polyion. © 1990 American Institute of Physics.