Effects of dielectric inhomogeneity in polyelectrolyte solutions

We illustrate the effects of dielectric inhomogeneity on the statistical properties of polyelectrolytes in solution, by a lattice Monte Carlo simulation that combines the bond fluctuation model with a local algorithm for computing the electrostatic interactions. Our model accounts for the difference in the dielectric properties between the polymer backbone and the solvent. Taking the coil–globule transition of a single polyelectrolyte chain in solvent as an example, we show that the chain conformation and the degree of counterion condensation are substantially affected by the dielectric contrast.