Adsorption of polyelectrolytes has been studied employing monolayers of ionic amphiphiles at the air water interface as model surfaces. The adsorption of polyelectrolytes from a solution brought into contact with the amphiphile monolayer results in changes of the monolayer structure and properties. Monitoring these changes can be done by recording the changes in surface pressure. The kinetics of the adsorption depends strongly on the nature of the polyelectrolyte. Depending on the structure of the polyelectrolyte a purely diffusion controlled adsorption or a sequence of diffusion controlled adsorption and ordering processes have been identified to determine the kinetics. The influence of the molecular architecture on the polyelectrolyte adsorption has been further studied employing linear and star shaped poly(acrylic acid) and poly(N‐propyl‐4‐vinyl pyridinium bromides), respectively. An unexpected behavior with an induction period in the adsorption kinetics of both polymers has been found. Furthermore, the degree of branching has only very minor effects on the adsorption kinetics.
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