Influence of the temperature on polyelectrolyte microcapsules: Light scattering and confocal microscopy data

The influence of heating on polyelectrolyte (PE) microcapsules consisting of an even or uneven number of alternating layers of poly(allylamine) and poly(styrenesulfonate) is investigated by the light scattering and confocal microscopy techniques. In the formation of PE microcapsules, CaCO3 microspherulites are used as "core" dispersed particles. It is established that the capsules decrease in size with increasing temperature and time of heating, irrespective of whether they consist of an even or uneven number of layers. The sensitivity of PE microcapsules to heat is estimated in terms of the activation energy of changes in parameters of their initial structure on heating. It is shown that PE microcapsules consisting of an uneven number of layers are more sensitive to heating as compared to those consisting of an even number of layers. A plausible mechanism is proposed for changes in structure parameters of the microcapsules on heating.