Veden ja suolan vaikutus polyelektrolyyttikomplekseissa

Polymers with electric charge are called polyelectrolytes. When oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are mixed in water solution they assemble to form aggregates, complexes. Polyelectrolyte complexes have applications ranging from biomedical to temperature-responsive materials and adhesives and they are closely related to polyelectrolyte multilayers. In water solution, these complexes can undergo a “glass-melt” transition in which they suddenly become softer. The plasticization response, and especially its dependency on water and salt, remain poorly understood. This proposal targets resolving the role salt ions and water in the polyelectrolyte complex plasticization. The new knowledge will allow not only fine-tuning the softening transition temperature but also tailoring the physical properties of these materials toward new applications.