Complex coacervates in complex environments
Complex Coacervates in Complex Environments
Complex coacervation occurs when two oppositely charged polymers come together and separate into a dense polymer-rich phase and a dilute surrounding phase. This phenomenon occurs in biological systems and has potential applications in areas such as drug delivery, wound healing, and energy technologies. Its behaviour is highly sensitive to the surrounding environment, but understanding how different conditions affect coacervation remains challenging.
This thesis uses computer simulations to investigate how coacervates behave under increasingly complex conditions. First, it shows that surrounding polymers can promote coacervate formation by crowding the system, while interconnected polymer networks can restrict their growth and change their internal structure. These results help explain how coacervates may behave in the crowded and confined environments found in biological materials.
The thesis also examines how electric fields can be used to control coacervates. Under an applied field, charged polymers stretch, move, and align, causing changes in the coacervate flow behaviour. This demonstrates a potential way of actively tuning coacervate properties.
Finally, the work investigates water-free charged polymer materials known as Compleximers. Their properties can be controlled by changing the polymers' molecular structure, providing insight into how molecular design influences density, mobility, and mechanical behaviour.
By examining crowding, confinement, external driving, and solvent-free conditions within a common simulation framework, this thesis extends the study of coacervation beyond idealised systems and identifies how environmental constraints can be used to control its behaviour. Understanding this interplay provides a foundation for designing responsive and tunable polymer materials for future applications.