Preparation of Poly(acrylate)/Poly(diallyldimethylammonium) Coacervates without Small Counterions and Their Phase Behavior upon Salt Addition towards Poly-Ions Segregation

Author(s)

Aquino Queiros, Marcos Vinicius ^[1] ; Loh, Watson ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Chem, UNICAMP, POB 6154, BR-13083970 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: POLYMERS; v. 13, n. 14 JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

In this work, we report the phase behavior of polyelectrolyte complex coacervates (PECs) of poly(acrylate) (PA(-)) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium) (PDADMA(+)) in the presence of inorganic salts. Titrations of the polyelectrolytes in their acidic and alkaline forms were performed to obtain the coacervates in the absence of their small counterions. This approach was previously applied to the preparation of polymer-surfactant complexes, and we demonstrate that it also succeeded in producing complexes free of small counterions with a low extent of Hofmann elimination. For phase behavior studies, two different molar masses of poly(acrylate) and two different salts were employed over a wide concentration range. It was possible to define the regions at which associative and segregative phase separation take place. The latter one was exploited in more details because the segregation phenomenon in mixtures of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes is scarcely reported. Phase composition analyses showed that there is a strong segregation for both PA(-) and PDADMA(+), who are accompanied by their small counterions. These results demonstrate that the occurrence of poly-ion segregation in these mixtures depends on the anion involved: in this case, it was observed with NaCl, but not with Na2SO4. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/25406-5 - Organizing matter: colloids formed by association of surfactants, polymers and nanoparticles
• Grantee: Watson Loh
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 18/09099-3 - Phase behavior of electrostatic complexes in systems containing polymers and surfactants in the presence of inorganic salts
• Grantee: Marcos Vinícius Aquino Queirós
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate