Electrostatic interaction is known to play important roles in the adsorption of charged lipids on oppositely charged surfaces. Here we show that, even for charge neutral (zwitterionic) lipids, electrostatic interaction is critical in controlling the adsorption and fusion of lipid vesicles to form supported phospholipid bilayers (SPBs) on surfaces. We use terminally functionalized alkanethiol se...

Montmorillonite is one of the principal mineralogical phases in clay minerals, where its interaction with water and other molecules represents most important aspects properties for basic science specific applications. In fact, montmorillonite has many uses various scientific technological fields, ranging from environmental remediation to ceramics, food science, construction/building materials. ...

pK(a) calculations for macromolecules are normally performed by solving the Poisson-Boltzmann equation, accounting for the different dielectric constants of solvent and solute, as well as the ionic strength. Despite the large number of successful applications, there are some situations where the current algorithms are not suitable: (1) large scale, high-throughput analysis which requires calcul...

The present study was undertaken to explore the interaction of ciprofloxacin and chloramphenicol with bacterial membranes in a sensitive and in a resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus by using 1-anilino-8-naphthalene sulfonate (ANS). The binding of this probe to the cell membrane depends on the surface potential, which modulates the binding constant to the membrane. We observed that these ...

In this feature article we discuss recent advances and challenges in measuring, analyzing and interpreting the electrostatic potential development at crystal/electrolyte interfaces. We highlight progress toward fundamental understanding of historically difficult aspects, including point of zero potential estimation for single faces of single crystals, the non-equilibrium pH titration hysteresis...

Electrophoresis is widely used to determine the electrostatic potential of colloidal particles. Oil droplets in pure water show negative or positive electrophoretic mobilities depending on the pH. This is commonly attributed to the adsorption of hydroxyl or hydronium ions, resulting in a negative or positive surface charge, respectively. This explanation, however, is not in agreement with the d...

– We study a variant of the generalized Thomson problem in which n particles are confined to a neutral sphere and interacting by a 1/r potential. It is found that for γ ≤ 1 the electrostatic repulsion expels all the charges to the surface of the sphere. However for γ > 1 and n > nc(γ) occupation of the bulk becomes energetically favorable. It is curious to note that the Coulomb law lies exactly...

A new methodology is proposed for accurate and effective incorporation of the matrix elements of the Madelung potential into ab initio embedded cluster calculations of macromolecules, polar crystals, and their surfaces. The electrostatic potential from the infinite crystal lattice is modeled by a finite number (usually several hundred) of point charges located on a surface enclosing the cluster...

A theory is presented which allows us to quantitatively calculate the excess surface tension of acid solutions. The H, in the form of hydronium ion, is found to be strongly adsorbed to the solution-air interface. To account for the electrostatic potential difference measured experimentally, it is necessary to assume that the hydronium ion is oriented with its hydrogens pointing into the bulk wa...

A scanning probe technique was used to obtain a high-resolution map of the random electrostatic potential inside the quantum Hall liquid. A sharp metal tip, scanned above a semiconductor surface, sensed charges in an embedded two-dimensional (2D) electron gas. Under quantum Hall effect conditions, applying a positive voltage to the tip locally enhanced the 2D electron density and created a "bub...