Theory of dipole-driven self-assembly of charged macromolecular aggregates

We will present a general theory for the spontaneous formation of finite-sized aggregates in solutions of polyzwitterions, physical polyzwitterions, polyelectrolytes, and intrinsically disordered proteins. Accounting for electrostatic and topological correlations, ionization equilibria, Donnan equilibrium, and elasticity, we have derived a universal law for the size of the aggregates in terms of the experimental variables such as polymer concentration, temperature and solvent quality, and salt concentration. In addition, the thermodynamic stability of these aggregates will be addressed in the context of the confluence from gelation, microphase separation, and macrophase separation.