A small-angle neutron scattering study of poly(ethylene oxide) microstructure in aqueous poly(styrenesulfonate sodium) solutions.

Dilute aqueous solutions of d-PEO and PSSNa mixtures were studied by (2)H NMR spectroscopy and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). The interactions between d-PEO and PSSNa were found to be negligible both in the presence and absence of NaCl. At very dilute concentration (0.7 mg mL(-1)), d-PEO chains were still found to be slightly collapsed at ambient temperature in water. Upon the addition of PSSNa, aggregates of d-PEO were observed with d-PEO coils loosely associated with each other. The average centre to centre distance between d-PEO coils, which was calculated from the maxima in SANS spectra, was similar to the size of the individual coils. The effect of a simple salt, NaCl, on d-PEO-PSSNa interaction was investigated. Salt addition induced a breakdown of the dilute d-PEO aggregates.