Simple approach to polyampholytes based on chain polarizabilities

The polarizabilities of polyampholytes have been calculated in Monte Carlo simulations. For chains with random charge topologies, the polarizability increases with the chain length and the chain flexibility. For block copolymers, the polarizability initially increases with the block size to a maximum and then decreases. The polarizability is used to characterize the interaction between polyampholytes and external electric fields. As long as the field is not too strong, the polyampholyte response will be linear. This observation is used to describe the chain behavior near charged walls, and for low to moderately charged walls the results agree well with Monte Carlo simulations. At high field strengths the chain properties are dependent on the chain topology and several cases are discussed.