Research Progress of the Ion Activity Coefficient of Polyelectrolytes: A Review
Aokai Zhang,
Xiuling Yang,
Feng Yang,
Chunmei Zhang,
Qixiong Zhang,
Gaigai Duan,
Shaohua Jiang
Affiliations
Aokai Zhang
Changzhou Vocational Institute of Industry Technology, Changzhou 213164, China
Xiuling Yang
Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Feng Yang
Changzhou Vocational Institute of Industry Technology, Changzhou 213164, China
Chunmei Zhang
Institute of Materials Science and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou 215009, China
Qixiong Zhang
Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Personalized Drug Therapy Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, China
Gaigai Duan
Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Shaohua Jiang
Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Polyelectrolyte has wide applications in biomedicine, agriculture and soft robotics. However, it is among one of the least understood physical systems because of the complex interplay of electrostatics and polymer nature. In this review, a comprehensive description is presented on experimental and theoretical studies of the activity coefficient, one of the most important thermodynamic properties of polyelectrolyte. Experimental methods to measure the activity coefficient were introduced, including direct potentiometric measurement and indirect methods such as isopiestic measurement and solubility measurement. Next, progress on the various theoretical approaches was presented, ranging from analytical, empirical and simulation methods. Finally, challenges for future development are proposed on this field.
