STUDIES ON THE FORMATION AND AGGREGATION OF POLYELECTROLYTE COMPLEXES FORMED BETWEEN POLY(STYRENESULFONIC ACID) AND POLY(DIALLYL-N,N-DIMETHYLAMMONIUM CHLORIDE)

Special properties of polyelectrolyte complexes (PEC) formed between poly(diallyl-N,N-dimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) and poly(styrenesulfonic acid) (PSSA) were studied by gravimetry, viscosimetry, potentiometry, and quasielastic light scattering. These complexes are unsoluble precipitates. Their stoichiometry is 1 : 1. Complex aggregation takes place only if a critical amount of salt is added. This critical salt concentration depends on the PEC concentration and the valence of the microions used. The aggregation behavior of the complexes was examined by quasielastic light scattering, varying the salt concentration. The data were analyzed by the theory of v. Smoluchowski. The accord between theory and experiment is qualitatively sufficient.