Macromolecules, Vol.35, No.3, 827-833, 2002
Structure-property relations in dendritic polyelectrolyte solutions at different ionic strength
The structural properties of charged G5 poly(propyleneimine) dendrimers (Astramol) in D2O solutions have been investigated using small-angle neutron scattering. Upon addition of acid (HCl), the dendrimers become charged, and the scattered patterns exhibit a single correlation peak indicating a spatial arrangement of the molecules in the acidified medium due to the electrostatic repulsion. Its position Q* is shifted toward wider angles by increasing the dendrimers concentration, leading to a scaling relation Q* similar to phi(0.32+/-0.01). This relationship indicates that the system has a liquidlike structural arrangement. The electrostatic interactions can be screened by addition of salt (NaCl). The short-range interactions between the dendrimer molecules were investigated by systematically varying the salt concentration in the solution. We demonstrate that the peak intensity decreases monotonically by increasing the salt concentration. In addition, this system shows a steep upturn in the scattered intensities at low wavevector reflecting the presence of large-scale structures, likely indicating aggregation of dendrimers or other inhomogeneous molecular distribution.