Orthogonal Phase Behavior in Polyzwitterionic Coacervate Systems

In this work, we experimentally characterize the liquid-liquid phase separation of a system composed of polyzwitterions and polyelectrolytes. These materials exhibit remarkable properties with respect to their solution behavior across a wide physicochemical parameter space. We relate pH, stoichiometry, and temperature dependencies on the phase behavior of our system to inherent properties of the constituent chains, and present a theory to explain observed experimental phenomenology. Finally, we use a physical simulation to demonstrate how our polymer system is uniquely suited to applications in the biomedical context of cargo retention and release.