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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
Polyelectrolyte (PE) gels exhibit complex phase behavior that includes the existence of nanostructures in poor-solvent conditions. The formation of these inhomogeneous structures is made possible by the competition between the short-range hydrophobic, elastic, and entropic interactions and the long-range electrostatic forces. We develop a theoretical framework that describes the effect of monomer and charge inhomogeneities in PE gels. Numerical calculations performed on a salt-free PE gel with one-dimensional heterogeneities demonstrate the presence of nanophases for a finite range of physical parameters.