Polymerization of the Organized Phases of Polyelectrolyte−Surfactant Complexes

The copolyaddition of α-ω-dienes with disulfides and unsaturated surfmers within the organized architecture of polyelectrolyte−surfactant complexes is presented. The influence of monomer swelling and polymerization on the phase morphology of the host was investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). SAXS shows that the specific monomer systems allow unusually high monomer swelling (and corresponding polymer content of hydrophobic monomer) under preservation of the order on the nanoscale. This is supported by the TEM measurements where long-range ordered lamellar arrays with a repeat period of up to 4.8 nm were identified. This corresponds to a swelling of the lamellar phase, with preservation of long-range order, and an increase in the d-spacing as compared to the original complex, of more than 150%.