ИСТИНА

Properties of interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) formed due to the electrostatically-driven interaction of a cationic miktoarm star-shaped polyelectrolyte having ca. 3 arms of exhaustively quaternized poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate) and 1 poly(ethylene oxide) arm with anionic linear polyions in aqueous media were studied by turbidimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, light scattering, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. At lower charge-to-charge ratios ([-]/[+] < 0.6) under considerable excess of the polycationic component, the formation of molecularly-dispersed IPECs was found, each co-assembly incorporates only one cationic miktoarm star, whose charge being partly compensated by chains of the oppositely charged linear polymeric counterpart. Due to non-centrosymmetric character of the excess (host) miktoarm star-shaped polyelectrolyte, the formed mono-star IPECs apparently keep this feature as well, thereby referring to structures of Janus-like type, each having a core assembled from the coupled oppositely charged parts of the polymeric components and a solubilizing two-faced corona built up from poly(ethylene oxide) arms and excess exhaustively quaternized poly(N,N-dimethyl aminoethyl methacrylate) arms which remain free after complexation. At high charge-to-charge ratios close to 1:1, the formation of rather rare vesicular IPECs with size in nanometer range (ca 50 - 70 nm in diameter) was observed, the wall of each vesicle being assembled from the coupled oppositely charged parts of the polymeric components and sandwiched between an outer and an inner solubilizing corona built up from poly(ethylene oxide) arms.