Complexation between poly(methacrylic acid) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

The complexation between poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) in aqueous phase was studied by various fluorescence techniques, including fluorescence anisotropy measurements, fluorescence probe studies, and nonradiation energy transfer. It was demonstrated that the complexation of PMAA with PVP occurs within a pH range of 1 to 5 and along with complexation, the conformation of PMAA changed from a hypercoiled to a loosely coiled form. The complex ratio between the two polymers is 2:1 (PMAA/PVP, in monomer unit). Salt effect studies showed that the complexation occurred due to formation of hydrogen bonds between the two polymers. Based on these conclusions and the “connected cluster model” for PMAA at low pH, a “ladder with connected cluster” model was proposed for the structure of PMAA/PVP complex formed at low pH. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 82: 620–627, 2001