We investigate the nature of the polyelectrolyte peak in salt-free solutions by molecular dynamics simulations using a minimal model of polyelectrolyte solutions that includes an explicit solvent and counterions and small angle scattering experiments. It is found that the polyelectrolyte peak progressively disappears as the strength of solvation for the charged species is increased and the scattering profiles start to resemble those of neutral polymer solutions. The disappearance of the polyelectrolyte peak coincides with the emergence of attractive interchain interactions over a wide range of length scales. These findings provide insights into the microscopic origin of the polyelectrolyte peak.

中文翻译：

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在无盐溶液中聚电解质峰的消失。

我们使用分子电解质模拟的最小模型（包括显式溶剂和抗衡离子以及小角度散射实验），通过分子动力学模拟研究了无盐溶液中聚电解质峰的性质。发现随着带电物质的溶剂化强度的增加，聚电解质峰逐渐消失，并且散射曲线开始类似于中性聚合物溶液的散射曲线。聚电解质峰的消失与各种长度尺度上有吸引力的链间相互作用的出现相吻合。这些发现为聚电解质峰的微观起源提供了见解。