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Oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and surfactants can form under specific conditions hydrogels containing micelle-like nanostructures. Due to its hydrophobic core, these structures are capable of solubilizing hydrophobic substances within hydrophilic soft solid matrix. Such hybrid materials can be subject of interest for medical applications. In this study, interactions between cationic dextran and sodium dodecylsulphate were studied and conditions of gel formation investigated. Using the technique of fluorescence probe, phase behaviour was analysed and region of the gel phase separation detected. Solubilisation of hydrophobic dyes confirmed the formation of micellar domains. The gel formation was affected by ionic strength of gelling solutions.
Keywords: hydrogels, polyelectrolytes, surfactants, micelles, solubilisation© This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.