Radiofrequency dielectric loss relaxation in polyion-induced liposome aggregates

In this note, we present a set of dielectric loss relaxation measurements of aqueous charged liposome suspensions during the whole aggregation process induced by oppositely charged adsorbing polyions. The system experiences two concomitant effects known as "reentrant condensation" and "charge inversion," resulting in the formation of liposome aggregates whose average size reaches a maximum in the vicinity of the electroneutrality condition, accompanied to a progressive reduction of their overall electrical charge. Far from the neutrality, from both sides, polyion-coated liposomes exist with a charge of opposite sign. The dielectric loss relaxation in these complex aggregating systems has never been measured so far and we report here, for the first time, the dielectric loss behavior of liposomes built up by a cationic lipid and stuck together by poly(acrylate), which is a flexible oppositely charged polyion. The data are analyzed in the framework of standard electrokinetic model theory. The evolution of the aggregation process as a function of the polyion content is mainly characterized by a counterion polarization effect, governed by the surface charge density of the aggregates and hence by the zeta-potential.