Solution properties of bottle-brush polyelectrolytes

• Aqueous solution properties of bottle brush polyelectrolytes, where side-chains are attached to a polymer backbone, have been studied. The side chains consist of 45 units long poly(ethylene oxide) groups and the backbone is of the methacrylate type. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) was used to elucidate the solution conformation of this class of polymer and how it is affected by the side chain density and charge density. The effect of temperature on the solution conformation, and in particular the side chain extension, has also been quantified. At higher concentrations the interactions between the polymer chains in solution affects the scattering, and it is shown that this interaction is well described by a model originally developed for wormlike micelles.

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