The physical chemistry of polyelectrolyte solutions

Some physical properties of aqueous solutions containing linear, flexible, polyelectrolytes are reviewed in order to emphasize the role of charge interactions in these systems which strongly depend on the charge of the macromolecular chain and the concentration of low molar mass electrolyte in solution. Particular emphasis is put on polyelectrolyte solutions containing an excess of added salt, which from a theoretical point of view are easier to understand. Both the dilute and the semi‐dilute case will be discussed. In the former the problem of the electrostatic potential around the macromolecular chain is briefly reviewed as well as the use of a wormlike chain model to derive average dimensions of polyelectrolytes in solutions. In the latter the scaling approach to concentration effects in polyelectrolyte solutions is briefly discussed. The pecularities of the semi‐dilute regime in polyelectrolyte solutions is illustrated with the help of results obtained with dynamic light scattering and the time dependent decay of electric birefringence.