Polyampholyte-dressed micelles of fluorinated and hydrogenated dodecanoic acid

Polyampholytes with alternating cationic and anionic monomers were synthesized and complexed with fatty acids (dodecanoic acid and perfluorododecanoic acid). The formation of the polyelectrolyte-fatty acid complexes is self-assembled and generates nanoparticles with sizes in the range of 3-5 nm that were named dressed micelles. A defined arrangement of the ionic charges of three polyampholytes was achieved by the copolymerization of a cationic vinyl monomer (N,N'-diallyl-N'N-dimethylammonium chloride) and anionic vinyl monomers (maleamic acid, phenylmaleamic acid, and 4-butylphenylmaleamic acid). The zeta potentials of the polyampholyte dressed micelles were adjusted in the range of -56 to 25 mV. They increase when replacing the alkylated dodecanoic acid by its perfluorinated counterpart, and they also increase when enhancing the hydrophilicity of the polyampholyte. Analytical ultracentrifugation, dynamic light scattering, and isothermal titration calorinietry were used for the characterization of the fluorinated and the hydrogenated complexes.