title: Polyelectrolyte Complex Formation in Lamellar Liquid Crystalline Systems
abstract: The influence of polyelectrolytes on structure formation in liquid crystalline Na-dodecylsulfate/decanol/water systems was investigated by means of small angle X-ray diffraction, rheology, NMR spectroscopy, and microscopy. By adding Na-polyacrylate (PAA) into the mesophase, the one-phase region is left and phenomena of phase separation into a solvent-rich and a polymer/surfactant-rich phase occurs. By incorporating an anionic and cationic polyelectrolyte step by step the tendency of phase separation is increased drastically. The self-organization process can be regulated directly by varying the water content of the system. However, at a water content of 30% the properties of the resulting liquid crystal were changed drastically. X-ray diffraction shows a multitude of Bragg peaks, NMR shows a peak-splitting, and rheology shows a change from non-Newtonian to Newtonian-flow behavior. On the basis of the experimental results an ordered multilayer associate structure can be assumed.
authors.affiliation: Institut fur Physikalische Chemie und Theoretische Chemie, Institut fur Festkorperphysik, Forschungsgruppe Elektronenmikroskopie, Universitat Potsdam, Am Neuen Palais 10, Potsdam, 14469, Germany
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kotz
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bruhl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kosmella
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reiche
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tiersch