Table 1. Molecular Architecture Controls Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelle (PCM) Propertiesa.
| property | parameter | notes | references |
|---|---|---|---|
| core radius | neutral block length (NA) | inverse correlation | (36, 59) |
| core radius | charged block length (NB) | direct correlation | (36, 37, 56, 59, 77−79) |
| core radius | homopolymer length (NC) | independentb | (30, 37, 42, 56, 59) |
| corona thickness | neutral block length (NA) | direct correlation | (36, 59−61) |
| aggregation number | neutral block length (NA) | inverse correlation | (30, 59−61) |
| aggregation number | charged block length (NB) | direct correlation | (36, 59, 64) |
| aggregation number | strength of charge | direct correlation | (50) |
| polydispersity | strength of charge | direct correlation | (37, 50) |
| morphology | N/C > 1 | spheroids | (30−32) |
| morphology | N/C < 1 | aggregates, vesicles,c or lamellaec | (30, 33−35, 40, 41) |
| morphology | polyelectrolyte architecture | vesicles, cylinders, and more | (38, 39) |
| morphology | DNA hybridization | ssDNA = spheres | (37, 56) |
| dsDNA = worm-like cylinders | |||
| stability | polymer length | direct correlation | (66) |
| stability | charge density | direct correlation | (67, 68) |
| stability | strength of charge | direct correlation | (50) |
| stability | cross-linking | direct correlation | (73−76) |
a
The following physical trends are from both experimental and theoretical publications on PCMs.
b
Under lengths of ∼5000.
c
Specific cases.