Observation of liquidlike correlations of polyelectrolytes under high-shear conditions

Angular static light scattering peaks were observed for a polyelectrolyte (Proteoglycan subunit) under elution in pure water in a size exclusion chromatography (SEC) system. The shear rates involves in the SEC experiments were fairly high. The peaks were quite comparable to those found under stationary (non-SEC) conditions, adding strength to the notion that dynamic, liquidlike correlations are the origin of such peaks observed for simple polyelectrolytes at low ionic strength.