Prof. Dr. Axel Müller

The most important problem of the modern physical chemistry of high-molecular-weight compounds is designing nanosized macromolecular structures of new architecture. One of the approaches is based on macromolecular self-assembly and self-organization in multicomponent polymeric systems. A striking example of such processes is formation of interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPECs) on mixing aqueous solutions of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. These macromolecular compounds are stabilized by a cooperative system of interpolymer salt bonds, which can be complemented by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic and van der Waals interactions. In the last decade, the structure and properties of IPECs formed by pairs of synthetic oppositely charged linear polyions have been comprehensively studied by various research teams.