INTER- AND INTRAMOLECULAR POLYCOMPLEXES IN POLYDISPERSED COLLOIDAL SYSTEMS

Problems of stability in polymer-colloidal systems are discussed from the viewpoints of classical colloidal chemistry, macromolecular chemistry and statistical physics. The special situation in the systems containing polydispersed colloidal particles is highlighted. The behavior of the InterPC (PSMA+PEO) composed of poly(styrene-alt-maleic acid) and poly(ethylene oxide), and also of the IntraPC (PVAPAAm) formed in the poly(vinyl alcohol)-graft-polyacrylamide copolymers in mono- and polydispersed silica/water suspensions is considered in order to explain the fact of a principally higher flocculating capability of polycomplexes as compared with individual polymer components. The approaches of colloidal and macromolecular chemistry are used in conjunction in these studies. The development of complicated non-equilibrium competitive processes in the ternary systems containing chemically complementary polymer components and polydispersed colloidal particles is demonstrated. The existence of an additional thermodynamic factor of attraction between large micrometer-scale particles covered by adsorption layers of polycomplexes and between triple polymer-colloidal complexes formed by both polymer components and nanoparticles is shown.