Controlled association in suspensions of charged nanoparticles with a weak polyelectrolyte

The properties of high-pH suspensions of mixtures of silica with low-molecular-weight samples of the water-soluble polymer polyethylenimine (PEI) have been studied. At pH > 10 and low ionic strength, silica nanoparticles are stabilized by a negative surface charge, and PEI has only a very low positive charge. The adsorption of PEI induces a localized positive charge on the segments of polymer closest to the silica surface. The parts of the molecule furthest away from the surface have little charge because of the high pH of the medium. The polymer-covered particle remains negatively charged, imparting some electrostatic stabilization. Suspensions of silica and low-molecular-weight PEI are low-viscosity fluids immediately after mixing, but aggregation occurs leading to the eventual gelation (or sedimentation at lower concentrations) of these mixtures, indicating colloidal instability. The gelation time passes through a minimum with increasing surface coverage. The rate of gelation increases exponentially with molecular weight: for molecular weight > or = 10,000 Da PEI, the instability is so severe that uniform suspensions cannot be produced using simple mixing techniques. The gelation rates increase rapidly with temperature, ionic strength, and reduction in pH. The rate of gelation increases with increasing particle concentration at low surface coverage but decreases at high coverage as a consequence of a small increase in pH. Gels are broken by application of high shear into aggregates that re-gel more rapidly than the original discrete coated particles.