We consider distribution of 1:1 salt between an external reservoir and a mesoscopic selectively swollen ionomer gel. We examine the effect of the gel morphology on the salt concentration in the gel. Applying a molecular thermodynamic model of a diblock copolymer ionic gel [A.I. Victorov, C.J. Radke, J.M. Prausnitz, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 8 (2006) 264] we show that the deviation from the classical Donnan rule may be substantial and depends on the gel morphology. A nonuniform gel takes up more salt than is predicted by the Donnan rule. Strongest deviations are found for weakly and moderately charged gels at low salt and thus these findings have direct biomedical relevance. Results are given for diblock copolymer gels of lamellar, bicontinuous, cylindrical and spherical morphologies over a wide range of solution salinities and ionization degrees of the gel. Combined effects of morphology on equilibrium swelling of the gel and on the deviation from the Donnan rule are illustrated.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)334-343
Number of pages10
JournalFluid Phase Equilibria
Volume241
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Mar 2006

    Research areas

  • Donnan rule, Ionic gel, Mesoscopic, Molecular thermodynamics, Polyelectrolyte, Salt uptake

    Scopus subject areas

  • Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry

ID: 10742302