CHARGED BLOCK-COPOLYMER MESOGELS

Equilibrium properties of mesogels-supermolecular networks, formed by symmetrical triblock copolymers with ionizable central blocks-are considered by scaling and self-consistent-field (SCF) arguments. We use the analogy between swelling elements of mesogels and polymer brushes to predict the swelling in selective solvents and deformational behavior of mesogels. It is shown that equilibrium interdomain distances in charged mesogels of various morphologies obey universal scaling laws. Reducing the solvent strength leads to an abrupt collapse of mesogels (phase transition of the first order) far below the theta point. A detailed analysis of the intrinsic structure of lamellar mesogel is carried out within a SCF theory. As in neutral mesogels, swelling layers are inhomogeneous and their structure is sensitive to the fraction of bridging chains.