Complexation of a Thermoresponsive Brush-Type Polyelectrolyte with an Oppositely Charged Surfactant: Effect of Temperature and Surfactant Concentration

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Autores principales: Ritacco, Hernán A., Leyes, Macos D. Fernández, Quirolo, Zulma, Lencina, M. M. Soledad, del Barrio, Cecilia, Márquez, Rafael, Fernández, Jaqueline, Morales, Jhon Sánchez
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Ritacco, Hernán A.
Leyes, Macos D. Fernández
Quirolo, Zulma
Lencina, M. M. Soledad
del Barrio, Cecilia
Márquez, Rafael
Fernández, Jaqueline
Morales, Jhon Sánchez
author_facet Ritacco, Hernán A.
Leyes, Macos D. Fernández
Quirolo, Zulma
Lencina, M. M. Soledad
del Barrio, Cecilia
Márquez, Rafael
Fernández, Jaqueline
Morales, Jhon Sánchez
contents Responsive drug delivery vectors can be designed using oppositely charged polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes. As a model, we created a brush-type copolymer (PECop), combining alginate and Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), whose side chains respond to temperature. Aggregation of PECop with the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) was examined versus surfactant concentration and temperature. We used surface tension, electrophoretic mobility, zeta potential, potentiometry, light scattering, and atomic force microscopy to analyze the complexes. PECop/DTAB complexes form spherical, monodisperse aggregates in certain surfactant ranges, even though the copolymer itself is polydisperse. The binding isotherms combine features of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/surfactant systems and hydrophobically modified polymers. Compared to alginate alone, PECop binds six times more DTAB at 1 mM surfactant concentration. Temperature responsiveness depends on surfactant concentration (cs). The surfactant triggers progressive collapse of polymer chains, maximized at cs = 2.8 mM, where thermo-responsiveness is lost. For cs 10 mM, size increases above LCST. This inversion in thermal response with rising surfactant concentration suggests changing aggregate structure, offering new avenues for drug delivery system design using these polymer-surfactant complexes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_02539
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Complexation of a Thermoresponsive Brush-Type Polyelectrolyte with an Oppositely Charged Surfactant: Effect of Temperature and Surfactant Concentration
Ritacco, Hernán A.
Leyes, Macos D. Fernández
Quirolo, Zulma
Lencina, M. M. Soledad
del Barrio, Cecilia
Márquez, Rafael
Fernández, Jaqueline
Morales, Jhon Sánchez
Soft Condensed Matter
Chemical Physics
Responsive drug delivery vectors can be designed using oppositely charged polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes. As a model, we created a brush-type copolymer (PECop), combining alginate and Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm), whose side chains respond to temperature. Aggregation of PECop with the cationic surfactant dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB) was examined versus surfactant concentration and temperature. We used surface tension, electrophoretic mobility, zeta potential, potentiometry, light scattering, and atomic force microscopy to analyze the complexes. PECop/DTAB complexes form spherical, monodisperse aggregates in certain surfactant ranges, even though the copolymer itself is polydisperse. The binding isotherms combine features of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte/surfactant systems and hydrophobically modified polymers. Compared to alginate alone, PECop binds six times more DTAB at 1 mM surfactant concentration. Temperature responsiveness depends on surfactant concentration (cs). The surfactant triggers progressive collapse of polymer chains, maximized at cs = 2.8 mM, where thermo-responsiveness is lost. For cs 10 mM, size increases above LCST. This inversion in thermal response with rising surfactant concentration suggests changing aggregate structure, offering new avenues for drug delivery system design using these polymer-surfactant complexes.
title Complexation of a Thermoresponsive Brush-Type Polyelectrolyte with an Oppositely Charged Surfactant: Effect of Temperature and Surfactant Concentration
topic Soft Condensed Matter
Chemical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.02539