Polyelectrolytes star-branched

Conformations and Solution Properties of Star-Branched Polyelectrolytes... 

Further progress in the field of IPECs has been associated with involvement of more complex polyionic architectures, such as branched ionic (co)polymers (polyelectrolyte stars and cylindrical polyelectrolyte brushes) as well as self-assemblies of linear ionic diblock copolymers (polymeric micelles) (Fig. 6a-c), into interpolyelectrolyte complexation. Synthesis of well-defined polymeric architectures with nonlinear topology has become possible only recently due to considerable developments in living and controlled polymerizations. In this section, we briefly... 

Jusufi A, Likos CN (2009) Colloquium star-branched polyelectrolytes the physics of their conformations and interactions. Rev Mod Phys 81(4) 1753-1772. doi 10.1103/RevModPhys. 81.1753... 

Abstract Aqueous solutions of star-like polyelectrolytes (PEs) exhibit distinctive features that originate from the topological complexity of branched macromolecules. In a salt-free solution of branched PEs, mobile counterions preferentially localize in the intramolecular volume of branched macroions. Counterion localization manifests itself in a dramatic reduction of the osmotic coefficient in solutions of branched polyions as compared with those of linear PEs. The intramolecular osmotic pressure, created by entrapped counterions, imposes stretched conformations of branches and this leads to dramatic intramolecular conformational transitions upon variations in environmental conditions. In this chapter, we overview the theory of conformations and stimuli-induced conformational transitions in star-like PEs in aqueous solutions and compare these to the data from experiments and Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. 

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