Screening of a charged particle by multivalent counterions in salty water: strong charge inversion

The charge inversion for a variety of macroions, ranging from the charged surface of mica or other solids to charged lipid membranes, DNA, or actin is addressed. By way of examples, it is demonstrated that the inverted charge, in terms of its absolute value, can be larger than the original bare charge. This phenomenon is called the strong or giant charge inversion.