Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 3, 2026
08:44
Assembly and Characterization of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles
Published on: March 2, 2020
11.6K
Design and Characterization of Functionalized Polyelectrolyte-Dicephalic Surfactant Complexes as Multipurpose
Weronika Szczęsna-Górniak1, Łukasz Lamch1, Lucyna Hołysz2
1Department of Engineering and Technology of Chemical Processes, Faculty of Chemistry, Wrocław University of Science and Technology, Wrocław 50-370, Poland.
ACS Omega
|March 2, 2026
Summary
Novel polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes (PESCs) combine antimicrobial polymers with a new surfactant for drug delivery. These multifunctional carriers effectively encapsulate curcumin, offering sustained release and antimicrobial properties for biomedical applications.
Area of Science:
- Soft-matter science
- Materials science
- Biomedical engineering
Background:
- Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes (PESCs) are versatile soft-matter systems for developing multifunctional delivery platforms.
- Antimicrobial-functionalized poly-(acrylic acid) (PAA) derivatives (PAA-THY-15, PAA-MEN-15, PAA-CAR-15) were previously developed.
- A novel cationic dicephalic surfactant, C12-DC NMe3Br, was synthesized.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design, form, and characterize novel PESCs using antimicrobial PAA derivatives and a new dicephalic surfactant.
- To evaluate the potential of these PESCs as drug delivery systems (DDSs) by loading them with curcumin (CUR).
- To assess the self-assembly, functional properties, and drug delivery capabilities of the designed PESCs.
Main Methods:
- Complexation of antimicrobial PAA derivatives with C12-DC NMe3Br to form PESCs.
- Loading of curcumin (CUR) into the PESCs.
- Physicochemical characterization including surface activity (goniometry), colloidal stability (turbidimetry), particle size, and surface charge (DLS).
- Evaluation of encapsulation efficiency (EE) and release kinetics (UV-vis spectrophotometry).
Main Results:
- Novel PESCs were successfully formed by combining antimicrobial PAA derivatives with the synthesized dicephalic surfactant.
- The PESCs demonstrated effective encapsulation of curcumin (CUR).
- Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and turbidimetric studies confirmed particle formation and colloidal stability.
- UV-vis spectrophotometry indicated sustained release of CUR from the PESCs.
Conclusions:
- The integration of antibacterial PAA derivatives with dicephalic surfactants creates tunable, multifunctional PESCs.
- These novel PESCs exhibit combined antimicrobial protection and controlled drug delivery capabilities.
- The designed complexes show promise as advanced DDSs for biomedical applications.
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