Structural evidence of charge renormalization in semi-dilute solutions of highly charged polyelectrolytes

We show experimentally that Manning counterion condensation also leads to a renormalization of the charge density at high concentrations of highly charged, flexible, hydrophilic polyelectrolytes. Investigations by small angle neutron and X-ray scattering of semi-dilute solutions of poly(acrylamide-co-sodium-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonate) at different charge densities above the condensation threshold, show that the scattering function is invariant with the charge density.