POLYELECTROLYTE · Investigating polyelectrolytes - a joint experimental, theoretical and computer modelling approach

Final Activity Report Summary - POLYELECTROLYTE (Investigating polyelectrolytes - a joint experimental, theoretical and computer modelling approach)

Polyelectrolytes are long-chained molecules in which some of the groups are charged. They are of enormous importance in biology, medicine and industry. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), proteins and components of shampoos and conditioners are just a few examples of polyelectrolytes. The purpose of this project was to employ four early stage researchers to form a team in order to tackle problems associated with polyelectrolytes using both experiment and theory. The questions that we set out to answer concerned the prediction of the phase behaviour of polyelectrolyte systems, the way in which polyelectrolytes bound to proteins and the synthesis and characterisation of poly-peptide hydrogels. This covered fundamental theory and also had biological and medical applications. Highlights of the project were new theories of liquid crystal formation, a variational approach to ion pairing, the synthesis and characterisation of three-dimensional responsive hydrogel scaffolds from self-assembling polymer and peptide conjugates and studies of the enzymatic degradation of poly-L-lysine-polygalacturonic acid multilayers.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union