Self-organization of macromolecules and liquid-crystalline phase transitions in solutions of cellulose esters
(6-11) Polymer Science: Series A 53 #1 (2011)
Palcuro et al found that adding ZnCl2 to solutions of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) causes phase separation with an increase in temperature.  In the presence of halides of other transition metals (CdCl2, CuCl2), this phenomenon is not observed. However, the addition of HCl and/or alkali-metal halides to these systems likewise gives rise to phase separation, and in the ZnCl2-based systems, the cloud point of solution substantially decreases with the introduction of alkali-metal salts. The same situation is observed in the case of polyvinylcaprolactam. Thus, it is concluded that the observed phenomena are associated with the formation of MtCl42− complex anions in solutions that promote the globulization of polymer chains with participation of water molecules surrounding polymer chains and cations of transition-metal salts bound to complexes with C=O groups of lactam rings of the polymers. (RDC 2/9/2011)

Self-assembly of cationic rod-like poly(2,5-pyridine) by acidic bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide in the hydrated state: A highly-ordered self-assembled protonic conductor 
(4095-4102) Polymer 51 #18 (2010)
Vilkman et al showed that acid–base complexation of rod-like poly(2,5-pyridine) (PPY) by bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (TFSI) leads to highly-ordered lamellar self-assemblies in the hydrated films and shows relatively high room temperature conductivity of ca. 10−4 S/cm. The self-assembly is promoted by the interplay between the hydrophilic and hydrophobic sites within the complexes.  The hydrophilic sites allow confinement of water molecules within the hydrated self-assemblies for low loading of TFSI to promote proton conductivity.  The new type of self-assembled acid–base material combining rod-like polymeric cations and ionic liquid anions suggests new routes for ionic and protonic transport and functional materials.  (RDC 12/19/2010)

Chitosan nanocoating on cotton textile substrate using layer-by-layer self-assembly technique
( 2793–2799) Journal of Applied Polymer  Science 119 #5 (2010)
Joshi et al of the Indian Institute of Technology, India found that ultrasonication during the washing steps clearly helped in depositing more uniform bilayers onto individual fiber surfaces; this contrasted with the deposition of a continuous coating layer, which was nonuniform and had a lot of surface cracks Chitosan, a natural biopolymer with polycationic characteristic, was used as a polyelectrolyte along with poly(sodium-4-styrene sulfonate) as an anionic polyelectrolyte for the first time on a textile substrate. (RDC 10/9/2010)

Simultaneous and Dual Emissive Imaging by Micro-Contact Printing on the Surface of Electrostatically Assembled Water-Soluble Poly(p-phenylene) Using FRET
(pages 3847–3855)Advanced Functional Materials 20  #22 (2010)
Kuwk et al formed patterns by self-assembly of poly{[2,5-bis(3-sulfonatobutoxy)-1,4-phenylene sodium salt]-alt-(1,4-phenylene)}, which is an anionically charged, water-soluble poly(para-phenylene) derivative with aldehyde groups at both chain ends.  The micropattern of fluorescein-labeled streptavidin is fabricated on the polymer-coated substrate through micro-contact printing using a polydimethylsiloxane mold.  (RDC 11/29/2010)