Polyelectrolyte Effect Research Articles

Probing the effect of the capping polyelectrolyte on the internal structure of Layer-by-Layer decorated nanoliposomes

HypothesisThe internal organization of polyelectrolyte layers deposited on colloidal templates plays a very important role for the potential applications of these systems as capsules for drug delivery purposes. ExperimentsThe mutual arrangement of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte layers upon their deposition on positively charged liposomes has been studied by combining up three different scattering techniques and Electronic Spin Resonance, which has provided information about the inter-layer interactions and their effect on the final structure of the capsules. FindingsThe sequential deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes on the external leaflet of positively charged liposomes allows modulating the organization of the obtained supramolecular structures, impacting the packing and rigidity of the obtained capsules due to the change of the ionic cross-linking of the multi-layered film as a result of the specific charge of the last deposited layer. The possibility to modulate the properties of the LbL capsules by tuning the characteristics of the last deposited layers offers a very interesting route for the design of materials for encapsulation purposes with their properties controlled almost at will by changing the number of deposited layers and their chemistry.

Probing the effect of the capping polyelectrolyte on the internal structure of Layer-by-Layer decorated nanoliposomes

Probing the effect of the capping polyelectrolyte on the internal structure of Layer-by-Layer decorated nanoliposomes

Investigation on Filtration Control of Zwitterionic Polymer AADN in High Temperature High Pressure Water-Based Drilling Fluids.

With the exploration and development of high-temperature and high-salt deep oil and gas, more rigorous requirements are warranted for the performance of water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs). In this study, acrylamide, 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, diallyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, and N-vinylpyrrolidone were synthesized by free radical copolymerization in an aqueous solution to form a temperature and salt-resistant zwitterionic polymer gel filtration loss reducer (AADN). The zwitterionic polymer had excellent adsorption and hydration groups, which could effectively combine with bentonite through hydrogen bonds and electrostatic attraction, strengthening the hydration film thickness on the surface of bentonite, and promoting the stable dispersion of drilling fluid. In addition, the reverse polyelectrolyte effect of zwitterionic polymers strengthened the drilling fluid's ability to resist high-temperature and high-salt. The AADN-based drilling fluid showed excellent rheological and filtration control properties (FLAPI < 8 mL, FLHTHP < 29.6 mL) even after aging at high-temperature (200 °C) and high-salt (20 wt% NaCl) conditions. This study provides a new strategy for simultaneously improving the high-temperature and high-salt tolerance of WBDFs, presenting the potential for application in drilling in high-temperature and high-salt deep formations.

Fabrication of salt-tolerant chitosan-based polyelectrolyte flocculant through enhancing H-bond hydration effect for treating and recycling of highly saline dyeing wastewater

The textile industry is required to execute water conservation and contamination management techniques owing to increasingly serious water scarcity and pollution. Herein, a novel salt-tolerant chitosan-based flocculant (CT-CTA-BGE3) with high charge density was synthesized through chitosan (CT) etherification with 2,3-epoxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride (CTA) and butyl glycidyl ether (BGE). The H-bond hydration effect between BGE segments and water molecules weakens the salt-induced polyelectrolyte effect, allowing CT-CTA-BGE3 to chains keep an extended conformation in high-salty aqueous solution and thus endowing excellent salt-tolerant properties. Meanwhile, the incorporation of CTA segments offers a high positive charge on the flocculant surface. Thus, the beneficial effect of satisfying color removal was obtained by CT-CTA-BGE3 in a highly saline system because it would render the more exposed active sites with strong positive charges along stretched polymer chains. The outstanding flocculability of CT-CTA-BGE3 (3054 mg/g) for the reactive brilliant red 2 (a widely commercial grade dye) could be obtained within 5 min (pH = 6). As expected, because the CT-CTA-BGE3 impurities can be reduced in reclaimed water via the pH-mediated hydrophilicity-hydrophobicity switch of polymer, the obtained clarified saline wastewater after flocculation can be recycled in a new dyeing bath without sacrificing fabric quality (ΔE*less than1), and over 88 % of NaCl can be regenerated for each cycle. This work develops an alternative strategy for the fabrication of salt-tolerant flocculants through enhancing H-bond hydration, revealing the promising application prospects in treating and recycling highly saline textile wastewater.

Effects of Charged Polyelectrolytes on Amyloid Fibril Formation of a Tau Fragment.

The microtubule-associated protein tau is involved in more than 20 different neurological disorders characterized by aberrant intracellular aggregation of tau in the brain. Here, we investigated the aggregation of a novel 20-residue model peptide, tau298-317, which is derived from the key microtubule binding domain of the full sequence tau. Our results show that tau298-317 highly mimics the physical and aggregation properties of tau. Under normal physiological conditions, the peptide maintains a disordered random coil without aggregation. The presence of polyanionic heparin (Hep) significantly promotes the aggregation of this peptide to form amyloid fibrils. The Hep-induced aggregation is sensitive to the ionic strength of the solution and the introduction of the negatively charged phosphate group on a serine (Ser305) residue in the sequence, suggesting an important role of electrostatic interactions in the mechanism of Hep-mediated aggregation. In addition, two positively charged polysaccharides, chitosan (CHT) and its quaternary derivative N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC), were found to effectively inhibit Hep-induced aggregation of tau298-317 in a concentration-dependent manner. Attractive electrostatic interactions between the positively charged moieties in CHT/TMC and the negatively charged residues of Hep play a critical role in inhibiting Hep-peptide interactions and suppressing peptide aggregation. Our results suggest that positively charged polyelectrolytes with optimized charged groups and charge distribution patterns can serve as effective molecular candidates to block tau-Hep interactions and prevent aggregation of tau induced by Hep and other polyanions.

Enhanced oil recovery by sacrificing polyelectrolyte to reduce surfactant adsorption: A classical density functional theory study

During the process of chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR), surfactants are widely used as they can reduce interfacial tension and change surface wettability, but the huge economic losses caused by the adsorption of surfactants on rock surface need to be resolved. Therefore, polyelectrolyte is introduced to reduce the adsorption amount of surfactant. However, how to select appropriate polyelectrolyte suitable for different reservoirs is always lack of theoretical guidance. Herein, the competitive adsorption mechanism between surfactant and polyelectrolyte on rock surface is studied by classical density functional theory (CDFT). Having investigated the effects of different polyelectrolytes on the adsorption of surfactants, the optimal polyelectrolyte concentration and chain length suitable for different potentials were found. Also, the influence of rock crevices width on displacement effect was considered. Moreover, we proposed a comprehensive evaluation of polyelectrolytes in terms of both the performance and economy. The findings of this study benefit for further understanding of the competitive adsorption in CEOR, and provide guidance for the practical application of polyelectrolytes.

Green construction of multi-functional fire resistant epoxy resins based on boron nitride with core-shell structure

Fabrication of multi-functional epoxy resins by green methods is of great interest in the rapidly developing fields (5 G, AI, IoT, electronics & electrical appliances). To this end, a multifunctional nanoparticle was greenly constructed by utilizing hydrogen bonding interactions and electrostatic interactions to coat a layer of bio-based polyelectrolyte (composed of phytate and chitosan) on the surface of boron nitride. More importantly, the construction process does not use any organic solvent and external heat source. Then, this multi-functional nanoparticle is used for the functional modification of epoxy resin. Owing to the synergistic effect of polyelectrolyte and boron nitride at the nanoscale, the LOI value of the modified epoxy resin is raised to 32.8% at a lower addition amount (7 wt.%). Furthermore, the modified epoxy resin exhibit a rapid extinguishing phenomenon (0.5 s) after the cessation of fire supply in the vertical combustion test. Simultaneously, the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and total smoke production (TSP) are reduced by 54.3% and 33.0% compared with neat EP. Moreover, the multi-functional nanoparticles also endow the modified epoxy with good thermal conductivity, mechanical properties and dielectric properties. All in all, this work presents a green method for the construction of multi-functional epoxy resins.

Effect of Polyelectrolytes on Soil Organic Matter in Model Experiments

Effect of Polyelectrolytes on Soil Organic Matter in Model Experiments

Разработка способа повышения эффективности применения слабоосновных катионных полиэлектролитов в технологии бумаги и картона

The article considers the effect of weak cationic polyelectrolytes on the structure- and paper-forming properties of glued fibrous suspensions and the quality of glued and coated paper and cardboard samples obtained from them. It is shown for the first time that the efficiency of using cationic polyelectrolytes increases by 2…3 times due to a change in the sequence of its introduction into glued fibrous suspensions (cellulose and waste paper) in relation to rosin emulsion and electrolyte, as well as by «correction» their dosages. It is found that the use of the developed technology allows cationic polyelectrolytes to participate not only in the process of flocculation, but also in the formation of new sizing complexes in the form of finely dispersed positively charged peptized particles. It is revealed that the replacement of the sizing process in the homocoagulation mode with a more efficient mode of heteroadagulation of peptized particles due to the use of weakly basic cationic polyelectrolytes provides an increase in hydrophobicity and strength of the glued types of paper and cardboard. The expediency of using cationic polyelectrolytes to obtain high-quality products in the developed resource-saving and ecologically safe technology of glued types of paper and cardboard is substantiated based on the established increase in the degree of retention of fibers and sizing complexes and the simultaneous decrease in the content of suspended solids in recycled water. It is determined that the coating of glued paper and cardboard samples obtained with weakly basic cationic polyelectrolytes improves the printing properties of the resulting products. Recommendations are given for replacing the traditionally used complex of natural compounds in the coating paste formulation, including oxidized starch (2,0 parts by weight), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (0,7 parts by weight) and casein glue (2,0 parts by weight), for one synthetic binder — modified urea-formaldehyde oligomer (3,2 parts by weight).

Temperature- and Salt-Resistant Micro-Crosslinked Polyampholyte Gel as Fluid-Loss Additive for Water-Based Drilling Fluids.

With increasing global energy consumption, oil/gas drilling has gradually expanded from conventional shallow reservoirs to deep and ultra-deep reservoirs. However, the harsh geological features including high temperature and high salinity in ultra-deep reservoirs have become a critical challenge faced by water-based drilling fluids (WDFs), which seriously deteriorate the rheology and fluid loss properties, causing drilling accidents, such as wellbore instability and formation collapse. In this study, a novel temperature- and salt-resistant micro-crosslinked polyampholyte gel was synthesized using N,N-dimethylacrylamide, diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride, 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid, maleic anhydride and chemical crosslinking agent triallylamine through free radical copolymerization. Due to the synergistic effect of covalent micro-crosslinking and the reverse polyelectrolyte effect of amphoteric polymers, the copolymer-based drilling fluids exhibit outstanding rheological and filtration properties even after aging at high temperatures (up to 200 °C) and high salinity (saturated salt) environments. In addition, the zeta potential and particle size distribution of copolymer-based drilling fluids further confirmed that the copolymer can greatly improve the stability of the base fluid suspension, which is important for reducing the fluid-loss volume of WDFs. Therefore, this work will point out a new direction for the development of temperature- and salt-resistant drilling fluid treatment agents.

The influence of polyelectrolyte on the synthesis of B4C/BN nanocomposite powders via sol-gel method

In the present study, B4C-BN nanocomposite powders were synthesized by using the sol-gel method. To investigate the effects of polyelectrolyte on phase content, particle size, and final morphology of synthesized powders different amounts of ammonium polycarboxylate were used as a gel dispersing agent and a nitrogen source. Highly crystalline, sub-micron/micron-sized boron carbide particles with varying morphologies including polyhedral-equiaxed, belt-like, needle-like, and complex-shaped hierarchical structures were produced from the polymeric gel containing glycerine, tartaric acid, and citric acid as carbon sources, and boric acid as boron source. With the addition of ammonium polycarboxylate as a polymeric gel network modifier, nanocomposite powders containing micron-sized polyhedral-equiaxed boron carbide particles and boron nitride nanoflakes were obtained. The results indicated that the particles dimensions, crystallinity, and B4C to BN phase ratio of the synthesized powders are directly related to the preliminary formation of borate-ammonium and/or amine complexes in the polymeric gel. The SEM inspections revealed that the size of boron carbide particles tends to increase from 2 μm up to 40 μm as a function of ammonium polycarboxylate content. It was also observed that the average size and thickness of boron nitride nanoflakes within the range of 80 nm to 3 μm and 10–150 nm, respectively. B4C/BN nanocomposite powders were synthesized with up to 32% BN content using a 43 wt% ammonium polycarboxylate additive.

Tuning polymorphs of precipitated calcium carbonate from discarded eggshells: effects of polyelectrolyte and salt concentration.

Biowaste eggshells are a valuable source of calcium carbonate suitable for various applications. In this study, spherical vaterite and calcite calcium carbonate polymorphs have been synthesised from discarded eggshells by the precipitation technique at ambient temperature. The influence of initial salt concentration with different polyelectrolytes such as ethylene glycol (EG), polyethylene glycol (PEG, 600 and 6000), and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) at various w/v% concentrations on the polymorph crystal formation of precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) particles was studied. The results indicated that PCC crystals with spherical, star-shaped and yarn shaped morphologies can be obtained based on the concentration of calcium ions and the presence of different polyelectrolyte solution. At low salt molar concentration, PEG-6000 and PSS polyelectrolytes were found to promote the formation of spherical vaterite calcium carbonate particles with particle mean diameters of 5.05 μm and 2.17 μm, respectively. Furthermore, silver nanoparticles were also loaded into the PCC particles in situ, and the surface area significantly increased from 2.2813 m2 g−1 in untreated ground eggshells to 30.4632 m2 g−1 in PCC particles in the presence of PSS and silver colloid solution. The EDS mapping revealed the average wt% of silver atoms loaded in PCC particles in the presence of PSS polyelectrolyte was lower (1.44 wt%) than in the presence of PEG-6000 (4.27 wt%) due to the silver encapsulation possibility during the core–shell formation, as confirmed by SEM images. The silver nanoparticle-loaded PCC particles in this study can be incorporated into the polymer matrix and employed for antimicrobial food packaging or wound dressing application.

Temperature and Salt Responsivity of Anionic, Cationic and Amphoteric Nanogels Based on N-Isopropylacrylamide, 2-Acrylamido-2-Methyl-1-Propanesulfonic Acid Sodium Salt and (3-Acrylamidopropyl) Trimethylammonium Chloride

Three different nanogels possessing anionic, cationic and amphoteric character were synthesized via conven-tional redox initiated free radical copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM), 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS) and (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC). The negatively charged [NIPAM]:[AMPS] = 90:10 mol.%, positively charged [NIPAM]:[APTAC] = = 90:10 mol.%, and charge-balanced amphoteric nanogels [NIPAM]:[APTAC]:[AMPS] = 90:5:5 mol.% ab-breviated as NIPAM90-AMPS10, NIPAM90-APTAC10, and NIPAM90-APTAC5-AMPS5, respectively, were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, TGA, UV-Vis spectroscopy and DLS measurements. The temperature and salt responsive properties of nanogels in aqueous and aqueous-salt solutions were studied in the tempera-ture range of 25–60 °C and ionic strength (μ) of 0.001–1.0 M NaCl. Anionic NIPAM90-AMPS10 and cationic NIPAM90-APTAC10 nanogels, exhibit a pronounced polyelectrolyte effect in aqueous-salt solution due to screening of the negative or positive charges by low-molecular-weight salt. Whereas the charge-balanced amphoteric nanogel NIPAM90-APTAC5-AMPS5 exhibits an antipolyelectrolyte effect due to the screening of electrostatic attraction between opposite charges by low-molecular-weight salt. The difference between the temperature-dependent behaviors of anionic, cationic and amphoteric nanogels is explained by shrinking (polyelectrolyte effect) and expanding (antipolyelectrolyte effect) of macromolecular chains in aqueous-salt solutions.

Tandem Osmotic Engine Based on Hydrogel Particles with Antipolyelectrolyte and Polyelectrolyte Effect Fuelled by Both Salinity Gradient Modes.

In this study, we propose a new approach to attain energy by salinity gradient engines with pistons based on hydrogels possessing polyelectrolyte and antipolyelectrolyte effects in a tandem arrangement, providing energy in each salinity gradient mode in a repeatable manner. The swelling of hydrogel with a polyelectrolyte effect and shrinking of hydrogel particles possessing an antipolyelectrolyte effect in desalinated water, and subsequent shrinking of hydrogel with polyelectrolyte and swelling of hydrogel antipolyelectrolyte effect in saline water, generate power in both increasing and decreasing salinity modes. To investigate the energy recovery, we scrutinized osmotic engine assemblies by a setup arrangement of pistons with hydrogel particles, with polyelectrolyte and antipolyelectrolyte effects, in tandem. The energy recovery from the tandem engine setup (calculated based on dry form for each polyelectrolyte polyacrylate-based hydrogel-SPA) and antipolyelectrolyte–sulfobetaine-based gel with methacrylate polymeric backbone-SBE) up to 581 J kg−1 and a mean power of 0.16 W kg−1 was obtained by the tandem setup of SPA and SBE hydrogel containing 3% crosslinking density and particle size of 500 microns with an external load of 3.0 kPa. Exchange of sulfobetaine with methacrylamide (SBAm), the main polymer backbone, revealed a positive increase in energy recovery of 670 J kg−1 with a mean power of 0.19 W kg−1 for the tandem system operating under the same parameters (SPA@SBAm). The energy recovery can be controlled, modulated and tuned by selecting both hydrogels with antipolyelectrolyte and polyelectrolyte effects and their performing parameters. This proof of concept provides blue energy harvesting by contributing both polyelectrolyte and antipolyelectrolyte effects in a single tandem setup; together with easy accessibility (diaper-based materials (SPA)) and known antibiofouling, these properties offer a robust alternative for energy harvesting.

Gel-permeation chromatography as a method for monitoring transformations of heavy petroleum fractions during secondary oil refining

A rapid and easy to use method for monitoring transformations of heavy oil fractions during secondary processes of oil refining is proposed. The method is based on the study of changes in the molecular weight characteristics by gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) using a refractometric detector. Optimal conditions for registration of the chromatograms (temperature, eluent consumption and its composition) were specified. Heptane, toluene, and toluene added with 1% and 5% of methanol were studied as eluents, the polarity indices being arranged in a series 0.2; 2.4; 2.43; 2.54. The effect of the nature of the solvent on the type of the product chromatogram is determined. It is shown that addition of a polar solvent to a nonpolar one increases the polarity index, reduces both the degree of association of petroleum molecules and adsorption on the gel. The most available toluene which meets the GPC requirements is chosen as an eluent. Addition of 1% CH3OH to the eluent promotes suppression of polyelectrolyte effects and adsorption. The revealed absence of the dependence of the retained volume and the type of chromatograms on the eluent flow rate and temperature indicates that separation is carried out under conditions of exclusion and completely obeys the theory of exclusive liquid chromatography. The transformation of raw materials during a technological process of oil production at the JSC «ANKhK» was studied using the GPC method under above-mentioned chromatographic conditions. We have studied vacuum distillate of the primary oil refining unit ELOU+AVT-6 (VD) and the product of hydrocracking of the vacuum distillate of the 123PM unit (HVD). It is shown that determination of the molecular weight characteristics provides an important information about the behavior of technological processes. The HVD meets the requirements for hydrocracking products. A decrease in the content of aromatic hydrocarbons in comparison with the raw feedstock is proved by the data of thin layer chromatography (TLC).

Conformation and persistence length of chitosan in aqueous solutions of different ionic strengths via asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation

Conformation of chitosan in acidic aqueous solutions is strongly influenced by ionic strength, but the conventional employed size exclusion chromatography is limited to high ionic strength. Here we show that conformation of chitosan in acetate buffer down to millimolar ionic strength can be studied via asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4), where the separation is governed by the diffusion properties of the chitosan molecules and assisted by the electrostatic repulsion of the polyelectrolyte from the channel membrane. The size of chitosan decreases with ionic strength due to increasing screening of the polyelectrolyte effect. The persistence length of chitosan in the solutions, obtained by fitting the conformation plot by the wormlike chain model, decreases linearly with the Debye screening length from 44.5 nm at a salt concentration of 1.25 mM dominated by the electrostatic contribution to 8.6 nm in 800 mM acetate buffer close to its intrinsic persistence length of 7.7 nm.

Anionic Polyelectrolyte-Induced Aggregation of Basic Orange 21: A Clue toward Metachromasia.

The change in the color of chromophore upon being embedded in a biological tissue is known as metachromasia. Basic Orange 21 (BO21) is a cationic polymethine dye that has been implied as a supravital dye, which produces metachromasia in leukocytes. An improved differential counting of leukocytes has been achieved in the clinical setup based on characteristic metachromatic expressions of BO21 for different types of leukocytes. Although BO21 has been utilized as a chromatic indicator for leukocyte counting, there are limited number of investigations that focus on the factors that may be responsible for the spectral shift in absorption and emission spectra of BO21, which leads to its metachromatic behavior. In this work, we have investigated the effect of a synthetic anionic polyelectrolyte, polystyrene sulfonate (PSS), on the photophysical properties of BO21, using steady-state emission, ground-state absorption, and time-resolved emission measurements, to get an understanding of the factors that may be responsible for the spectral shift of BO21 in the cellular environment. PSS induces aggregation of BO21 molecules with large changes in its photophysical properties; this appears to be most likely the mechanism of spectral shift for BO21 reported in the cellular environment. The employment of external stimulus reveals BO21 aggregates to be significantly responsive toward external stimuli, for example, temperature and presence of salt in the medium, which further strengthens the proposal of aggregate formation. Further, we have also employed fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy with subpicosecond time resolution to estimate the excited-state lifetime of BO21.

Impact of ethanol addition on the behaviour of xanthan gum in aqueous media

The effect of ethanol (EtOH) addition on the behaviour of xanthan gum (XG) chains in water (W) was investigated at 25 °C by using turbidimetry, zeta potential, refractometry and viscometry. The presence of EtOH (nonsolvent) in aqueous solution of XG reduces the thermodynamic quality of solvent and increases the polymer-polymer contacts (i.e., electrostatic, H-bonding or hydrophobic interactions). Thus, the transition from an expanded chain conformation to a more compact one was evidenced by viscometry, zeta potential masurements and refractometry while the aggregation of macromolecules or phase separation were observed by turbidimetry. A phase diagram for XG in solvent/nonsolvent mixtures was provided.For volumetric fractions of ethanol (ϕEtOH) higher than 0.3, zeta potential increases above −30 mV and the aggregation of xanthan chains takes place. Measurements of refractive indices were used to determine the preferential adsorption coefficient (λ1) for different volumetric fractions of ethanol. The parameter λ1 quantifies the polymer chain affinity for one component of the solvent/nonsolvent mixtures.The polyelectrolyte effect of XG chains in solution and the variable polarity as a function of W/EtOH composition influence the overall thermodynamic behaviour of XG assessed through the viscometric parameters determined by using the Wolf approach.

Synthesis of cassava starch-g-acrylic acid/dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide: A new hydrogel for brine solution

A new hydrogel copolymer was synthesized via the graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) and dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) on cassava starch (CSt) in aqueous solution. FTIR, TGA–FTIR, solid-state 13C NMR, SEM analyses were used to characterize the polymer. The swelling behavior of the polymer was investigated in distilled water and in various brine solutions. The effects of CSt and the ratio of the two monomers on the water absorbency of the polymer was evaluated. CSt improved the polymer swelling properties. Both polyelectrolyte and anti-polyelectrolyte effects occurred and the polymer had good salt-resistance properties in brine solutions. Such polymers have potential applications in the absorption of ultra-high concentration brine solutions.

Effect of cationic polyelectrolyte on the structure and antimicrobial activity of silver-containing nanocomposites based on interpolyelectrolyte complexes with a pectin anionic component

This paper investigates the structure, morphology and antimicrobial properties of silver-containing nanocomposites based on interpolyelectrolyte complexes (IPEC) of pectin with polyethylenimine, cationic starch or chitosan as a cationic polyelectrolyte. The reduction of silver ions was carried out by thermochemical technique by heating of the interpolyelectrolyte–metal complexes, which in turn prepared by adsorption of ions on IPEC. The chemical reduction was also performed using ascorbic acid as reductant. The temperature and time needed to produce the nanocomposites at which completely reduction of silver ions occurs are 150 °C and 30 min. It is revealed that during thermochemical reduction depending on the type of cationic polyelectrolyte (PEI, cationic starch, chitosan), silver nanoparticles with an average size of 4.1, 5.3 and 4.7 nm, respectively, are formed. Various mechanisms of thermochemical reduction for interpolyelectrolyte–metal complexes containing polymers with aminogroups or polymers with the glucopyranose units are considered. It is found that the silver-containing nanocomposites, formed by thermochemical reduction, exhibited higher antimicrobial activity against strains of S. aureus and E. coli than ones obtained using ascorbic acid.