Mesoscale Filamentous Polyelectrolytes: Chemical Functionalization and Fluidic Structure

The preparation and study of synthetic mesoscale structures opens opportunities to understand soft materials properties at length scales that are intermediate between that of the molecular and bulk, often referred to as the mesoscale. This paper details the preparation of mesoscale polymer filaments, prepared by flow coating and evaporative deposition from solution to yield filamentous versions of charged polymers. Using thiol-ene reactions on olefin-containing mesoscale polymer ribbons, anionic character in the form of carboxylates is introduced to the filamentous structures. The resultant mesoscale ribbons exhibit morphological changes as a function of their aqueous solution environment, based on their neutral versus anionic character, offering insights into the structure and morphology of small, multi-length scale, soft structures comprised of macromolecular materials.