Remembering Rudi Podgornik: Charged liquids, electrified interfaces and more

David Andelman (Tel Aviv U)

Sep 10. 2025, 11:00 — 11:30

The purpose of this talk is twofold. First, to highlight the significant contributions of the late Professor Rudolf Podgornik in five research areas: physics of DNA, virus capsids, Casimir effect, fluctuation-induced interactions, and the role of electric charge in soft matter systems. Second, to introduce two projects related to charged soft matter. (i) The surface tension of electrolytes has a history spanning a century, beginning with Onsager's groundbreaking work. This topic will be examined again using a field-theoretical approach that incorporates ionic specificity based on the Hofmeister series. (ii) The idea of charge regulation provides a more realistic way to understand biomolecules with charges that can dissociate into the surrounding water. Recent modeling of charge regulation will be presented, along with its applications to proteins, polyelectrolytes, and membranes. 

 

Further Information
Venue:
ESI Boltzmann Lecture Hall
Associated Event:
Charged Soft Matter: Bridging Theory and Experiment (Workshop)
Organizer(s):
Emanuela Bianchi (TU Vienna)
Peter Košovan (Charles U, Prague)
Christos Likos (U of Vienna)
Roman Staňo (U of Vienna)