ИСТИНА

The interaction of micelles generated in aqueous solutions of ionic amphiphilic diblock copolymers, polyisobutylene-block-poly(methacrylic acid), with cationic polyelectrolytes results in the formation of novel water-soluble interpolyelectrolyte complexes. They represent peculiar polymeric architectures of core-shell-corona ("onion-like") structure with a compact shell assembled from the coupled oppositely charged polyelectrolyte fragments. The original copolymer micelles appear to play a lyophilizing part in the complex particles, nearly not changing upon the interaction with cationic macromolecules. The responses of such complexes to the variations in pH and ionic strength of the surrounding medium were examined by means of variuos techniques, including turbidimetry, analytical ultracentrifugation, light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering.