Dilute polyelectrolyte solutions: recent progress and open questions

Soft Matter, vol. 20, pp. 2635–2687

Abstract

Polyelectrolytes are a class of polymers possessing ionic groups on their repeating units. Since counterions can dissociate from the polymer backbone, polyelectrolyte chains are strongly influenced by electrostatic interactions. As a result, the physical properties of polyelectrolyte solutions are significantly different from those of electrically neutral polymers. The aim of this article is to highlight key results and some outstanding questions in the polyelectrolyte research from recent literature. We focus on the influence of electrostatics on conformational and hydrodynamic properties of polyelectrolyte chains. A compilation of experimental results from the literature reveals significant disparities with theoretical predictions. We also discuss a new class of polyelectrolytes called poly(ionic liquid)s that exhibit unique physical properties in comparison to ordinary polyelectrolytes. We conclude this review by listing some key research challenges in order to fully understand the conformation and dynamics of polyelectrolytes in solutions.

Authors 3

1. Carlos G. Lopez Aachen Institute of Physical Chemistry

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, 52056, Germany

2. Atsushi Matsumoto

   University of Fukui

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, University of Fukui, 3-9-1 Bunkyo, Fukui City, Fukui 910-8507, Japan

3. Amy Q. Shen

   Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University

   Affiliation as printed

   Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son, Okinawa 904-0495, Japan