ELECTRIC BIREFRINGENCE OF SOLUTIONS OF PO LYELECTROLYTE COMPLEXES IN CHLOROFORM

Equilibrium electrical birefringence and the kinetics of Kerr effect i n chloroform solutions of polyelectrolyte complexes based on poly(N-et hyl 4-vinyl pyridinium) cations and dodecyl sulfate and bromide anions were studied. Orientational action of electric field on the macromole cules of polycomplexes was found to be provided by the induced dipole moment, the relaxation time of which was comparable to the relaxation time of molecular orientation. The values of Kerr constant of the poly complexes were shown to correlate with the optical shear coefficient. The changes in Kerr constants with varying composition and the degree of polymerization of polyelectrolyte complexes were associated with th e changes in optical anisotropy and deformational polarizability of ma cromolecules.