Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026

Controlling the Size, Shape and Stability of Supramolecular Polymers in Water
Published on: August 2, 2012
Aqueous phase behavior of polyelectrolytes with amphiphilic counterions modulated by cyclodextrin: the role of
Jonas Carlstedt1, Azat Bilalov, Ulf Olsson
1Physical Chemistry, Center for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lund University, POB 124, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. jonas.carlstedt@mah.se
Abstract:
Polyelectrolytes with amphiphilic counterions, PEACs, are water insoluble because the amphiphiles self-assemble into highly charged micelles that strongly associate with the equally highly charged polyions. However, in the presence of water soluble cyclodextrins (CDs) that form inclusion complexes with the amphiphiles and prevent micellization, PEACs become soluble as the dispersed amphiphiles behave essentially as simple monovalent counterions. In this paper, we illustrate, by example, how strongly the ternary phase behavior of PEAC:CD:water depends on the polyion flexibility; for a highly flexible polyion (polyacrylate) the amphiphilic aggregates dictate the phase behavior, whereas a much stiffer polyion (DNA) itself dictates liquid crystalline ordering.
More Related Videos
09:22Self-assembling Morphologies Obtained from Helical Polycarbodiimide Copolymers and Their Triazole Derivatives
Published on: February 7, 2017
10:53Anionic Polymerization of an Amphiphilic Copolymer for Preparation of Block Copolymer Micelles Stabilized by π-π Stacking Interactions
Published on: October 10, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Ion Exchange
The Colloidal State
Micelles
Cationic Chain-Growth Polymerization: Mechanism
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Polymorphism, Amorphism and Pseudopolymorphism
Some polymorphic crystals possess lower aqueous solubility than their amorphous counterparts, leading to incomplete absorption. For instance, the oral suspension of Chloramphenicol, which...
Surface Active Agents