Effect of Assembly Conditions on Chitosan/Alginate Polyelectrolyte Complexes Particle Size

Polyelectrolytes have remained one of the most attractive subjects of scientific research in recent decades owing to their great importance in advanced technologies and molecular biology. In this study, particle polyelectrolyte complexes (PPECs) were formed by mixing cationic chitosan (Ch) and anionic alginate using the jet mixing technique. Within certain limits, the size of the formed PPECs could be controlled and they are in the nano-sized range. The aim was to investigate the effect of the assembly pH and ionic strength on the PPECs size. The influence of Ch molecular weight on the PPECs size was also studied. Dynamic light scattering was used for PPECs size estimation. It was found that the pH and ionic strength affect the chitosan/alginate interaction force. Hence, PPECs with desired size could be fonned by varying the assembly conditions.