Polyelectrolyte contributions to transitions in electrostatic persistence length

The manner in which a conformational change determining the polyelectrolyte contribution to chain stiffness is incorporated into existing polyelectrolyte theory is discussed. The full Poisson-Boltzmann equation for the electrostatic potential (rather than a linear version) is incorporated into the calculation of the electrostatic persistence length. Changes in the electrostatic persistence length can then be demonstrated qualitatively to be controlled by the solution dielectric constant.