SUPRAMOLECULAR STRUCTURES IN POLYELECTROLYTE GELS

Three physical situations involving the formation of microstructures i n polyelectrolyte gels have been considered. (i) The microstructure em erging in weakly charged polyelectrolyte gels upon the addition of a p oor solvent. The following possible reasons for the microstructure for mation have been analysed: the polyelectrolyte/hydrophobic competition , the formation of ion pairs and their clustering into multiplets, and the partial vitrification. (ii) The ionomer multiplet-type microstruc tures which appear in polyelectrolyte gels immersed in a solvent of me dium polarity upon the increase of the degree of ionization of the gel . (iii) The microstructures which are formed in polyelectrolyte gels i nteracting with oppositely charged surfactants due to the aggregation of surfactants inside the network and quasicrystalline organization of the aggregates.