Polyelectrolyte complexes temperature-sensitive

A variety of synthetic polymers, including polycarbonate resins, substituted olefins, and polyelectrolyte complexes, are employed as ultrafiltration membranes. Many of these membranes can be handled dry, have superior organic solvent resistance, and are less sensitive to temperature and pH than cellulose acetate, which is widely used in RO systems. 

Yoshizawa T, Shin-ya Y, Hong KJ (2005) pH- and temperature-sensitive release behaviors from polyelectrolyte complex films composed of chitosan and PAOMA copolymer. Eur J Pharm Biopharm 59 307-313... 

T. Yoshizawa, Y. Shin-Ya, K.J. Hong, and T. Kajiuchi, pH- and temperature-sensitive permeation through polyelectrolyte complex films composed of chitosan and polyalkyleneox-ide-maleic acid copolymer, / Membrane Sci., 241,247-254,2004. 

As can be seen from the discussion above, the polyelectrolyte gel-surfactant complexes present interesting hybrid metal-polymer nanocomposites, allowing a vast variety of incorporated metals and metal-polymer-surfactant structures. The limitations of these systems are their heterogeneous character (insoluble in any media) and excessive sensitivity to external parameters (pH, temperature, etc.). 

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