New forces in polymers and electrolytes

New theories of the structures and dynamics of atoms in high-tech materials and biological molecules will be devised. Effects unique to length scales between the atomic and the macroscopic will be studies, e.g. fluctuation forces between crystal defects, between ions in solution and between polymers and polyelectrolytes. Two breakthroughs make this possible: the first general theory of branched polymer structure, and the discovery of a fluctuation force that gives the surface of water a negative charge. Applications include understanding glucose storage in liver glycogen, the design of highly branched polymers for drug delivery, and the discovery of new routes to high conductivity in solid electrolytes.