Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Publication Date
Page Numbers
5111 to 5117
Volume
135
Issue
13
Abstract
Atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to investigate the local dynamics of polyelectrolyte dendrimers dissolved in deuterium oxide (D2O) and its dependence on molecular charge. Enhanced segmental dy-namics upon increase in molecular charge is observed, consistent with quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) measurements. A strong coupling between the intra-dendrimer local hydration level and segmental dynamics is also revealed. Compelling evidence shows these findings originate from the electrostatic interaction between the hydrocarbon components of dendrimer and invasive water. This combined study provides fundamental insight into the dynamics of charged polyelectrolytes and the solvating water molecules.
