SOLUTION VISCOSITY OF POLYELECTROLYTE-SURFACTANT COMPLEXES - POLYELECTROLYTE BEHAVIOR IN NONAQUEOUS SOLVENTS

Polyelectrolyte-surfactant complexes made of poly(styrenesulfonate) an d various cationic surfactants are ''synthesized'' by common precipita tion in water. Redissolved in polar organic solvents, these complexes show polyelectrolyte behavior. This behavior is quantitatively describ ed with a modified Hess-Klein equation where the fitting parameters ha ve the meaning of a hydrodynamic size, an effective charge density, an d a salt concentration. The influence of complex hydrophobicity, the p olarity of the solvent, and the role of small amounts of water are dis cussed by means of the experimentally determined Hess-Klein parameters . Dynamic light scattering in dilute solutions reveals a complex relax ation typical for coupled or strongly interacting systems.