Berlin 2018 – scientific programme

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CPP: Fachverband Chemische Physik und Polymerphysik

CPP 33: Poster Session III

CPP 33.16: Poster

Tuesday, March 13, 2018, 14:00–16:00, Poster C

Network formation and clustering in a simple Monte Carlo model for protein solutions — •Frank Hirschmann, Marc Habinger, Malte Lütje, Johannes Bleibel, and Martin Oettel — Institut für angewandte Physik - Computational Soft Matter and Nano-Science, Universität Tübingen, Germany

Recent experimental investigations of globular proteins in solutions with three-valent salt ions show interesting phase behavior as well as the formation of extended clusters for a specific parameter range. This can be explained by condensation of salt ions to the surface groups of the proteins, thus leading to aggregation by forming ion bridges via short-range Coulombic attraction.

In order to analyze these results theoretically, we introduce a "patchy particle" model, realized by a non-additive, binary mixture, consisting of hard sphere-like "particles" representing proteins and "floating bonds" representing "bridging ions". By using Brownian-like dynamics simulations, we analyse the emerging network structure and clustering properties both in the spatial and temporal domain.