Some properties of polyelectrolyte micelles

Conference · Fri Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1993

OSTI ID:141712

Tuzar, Z ^[1]; Prochazka, K ^[2]; Munk, P ^[3]

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1. Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Prague (Czechoslovakia)
2. Charles Univ., Prague (Czechoslovakia)
3. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

Block copolymers AB and ABA, where A is poly(methacrylic acid) and B is polystyrene, form sperical polymolecular micelles in aqueous media. Due to a strong hydrophobicity of polystyrene, these micelles cannot be prepared by a direct dissolution in water or inaqueous buffers. However, they may be prepared by a stepwise dialysis from 1,4-dioxane/water mixture. The structure and properties of these micelles have been studied by static and dynamic light scattering, electrophoresis, and sedimentation velocity. It has been found that the polystyrene micellar cores are glassy in aqueous media and thus the behavior of micelles have been studied by static and dynamic light scattering, electrophoresis, and sedimentation velocity. It has controlled by their poly(methacrylic)acid shells. Micellar dimensions, intermicellar interactions, diffusion, and other properties depend on the pH and ionic strength of a given aqueous solvent. Two phenomena are given special attention, unusually high values of electrophoretic mobility of micelles, and strong intermicellar interactions in solutions of low ionic strength leading to viscous solutions even at relatively low copolymer concentrations.

• OSTI ID: 141712
• Report Number(s): CONF-930304--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
40 CHEMISTRY
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
COPOLYMERIZATION
ELECTROLYTES
METHACRYLIC ACID
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
POLYSTYRENE