A new approach towards redispersable polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex nanoparticles

Abstract.

Redispersable and weakly cross-linked block copolymer particles with a core–shell structure were prepared by the use of a macroinitiator. Subsequent sulfonation of the polystyrene core and complex formation with a variety of cationic surfactants led to sterically stabilized, redispersable polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex particles with spherical shape and diameters of about 400 nm. Spontaneous microphase separation of the hydrophobic surfactant tails and the hydrophilic entities of the polyelectrolyte and the surfactant headgroups induces mesostructure formation within the particle cores. The characteristic lengths of the mesostructures formed depend mainly on the chain lengths of the surfactants and vary between 2 and 4 nm. For the first time, preformed nanoparticles were used as constrained nanogeometries for polyelectrolyte–surfactant complex formation.