Does a Stilbazolium Cation Adsorbing Poly(styrenesulfonate) Anion Form Micellelike Clusters?

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00230a031

Poly(styrenesulfonate) anion (PSS^n-) is shown to aggregate with a large number of stilbazolium cations (Stz⁺) which undergo an electron-relay chain photoisomerization in the presence of Ru(bpy)3²⁺ sensitizer.The quantum yields for the cis-to-trans isomerization Φ_c-->t were rather constant in the range of 50 - 110, irrespective of changing the solvent from water to acetone or of the degrees of polymerization of PSS^n- from 100 to 5000.Adsorbtion and aggregation numbers of benzyltrimethylammonium ion (BTA⁺), an organic cationic substitute for Stz⁺, on PSS^n- were determined by a methylanthracene quenching method.The results show that the thousands of Stz⁺ ions bound to PSS^n- are divided into small aggregates of micellelike clusters and that their aggregation numbers are constant in the range of 80 - 90, irrespective of the degree of polymerization of PSS^n-.It was concluded that the electron-relay chain isomerization proceeds within one micellar cluster.