The diffusiophoresis of a polyelectrolyte subject to an applied salt concentration gradient is modeled theoretically. The entirely porous type of particle is capable of simulating entities such as DNA, protein, and synthetic polymeric particles. The dependence of the diffusiophoretic behavior of the polyelectrolyte on its physical properties, and the types of ionic species and their bulk concentrations are discussed in detail. We show that in addition to the effects coming from the polarization of double layer and the difference in the ionic diffusivities, the polarization of the condensed counterions inside the polyelectrolyte might also be significant. The last effect, which has not been reported previously, reduces both the electric force and the hydrodynamic force acting on the polyelectrolyte. Both the direction and the magnitude of the diffusiophoretic velocity of the polyelectrolyte are found to highly depend upon its physical properties. These results provide valuable references for applications such as DNA sequencing and catalytic nano- or micromotors.
