Fluorescence study for the electrostatic interaction and aggregation in dilute polar solution of polyelectrolytes

Fluorescence decay and quenching of pyrene labels on copolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulphonic acid (AMPS) and N,N-dimethylacryl-amide (DMAA) were observed in dilute salt-free aqueous solutions as a function of the mole fraction F_AMPS of AMPS from 0 to 0.896. Monoexponential and biexponential decays were found for the samples of F_AMPS < 0.35 and samples of FAMPS > 0.35, respectively. The fast decay component is 80% and the averaged lifetime <τ> and lifetime τ₁ of the fast decay decreased with increasing F_AMPS. Quenching efficiency of Cu²⁺, CH₃NO₂, and dinitrobenzene to the pyrene label was investigated in the framework of Stern-Volmer plot. The quenching effects of Cu²⁺ included both of dynamic and static ones, the latter was due to the condensed Cu²⁺. For the neutral quenchers, the quenching rate constant k_q increased when F_AMPS < 0.449 then decreased, showing a decline of accessibility to the pyrene label. I₁/I₃ value in salt-free dilute aqueous solution and in DMSO solution decreased obviously with an increase in F_AMPS, indicating that the labeled fluorophore experienced a decrease in polarity of its microenvironment with increasing charge density of the polymer. This I₁/I₃ decrease was enhanced with increasing the polymer concentration and adding salt NaCl up to 0.75 mol/L showed no effect on the appearance of this decrease. These results were interpreted consistently with the counterion condensation concept, where condensed counterions induced the “temporal” aggregation of less-polar in the polyelectrolyte solutions surrounding the pyrene labels.