In this chapter, we review our recent theoretical work on the formation of polyelectrolyte multilayers. The first layer is obtained by polyelectrolyte adsorption on a surface with an opposite charge. The adsorbed polyelectrolyte charge is sufficient to invert the charge of the surface. Each subsequent layer is bound to the previous one by the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex. Using a Deby...

We present a novel approach to probe elastic properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules. The method is based on measurements of the capsule load-deformation curves with the atomic force microscope. The experiment suggests that at low applied load deformations of the capsule shell are elastic. Using elastic theory of membranes we relate force, deformation, elastic moduli, and charact...

Integration of living cells with novel microdevices requires the development of innovative technologies for manipulating cells. Chemical surface patterning has been proven as an effective method to control the attachment and growth of diverse cell populations. Patterning polyelectrolyte multilayers through the combination of layer-bylayer self-assembly technique and photolithography offers a si...

−A new method is introduced to build up organic/organic multilayer films composed of cationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) and negatively charged poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) by using the spinning process. The adsorption process is governed by both the viscous force induced by fast solvent elimination and the electrostatic interaction between oppositely charged species. On the ...

Nature provides a vast array of solid materials that repeatedly and reversibly transform in shape in response to environmental variations. This property is essential, for example, for new energy-saving technologies, efficient collection of solar radiation, and thermal management. Here we report a similar shape-morphing mechanism using differential swelling of hydrophilic polyelectrolyte multila...

This work addresses the formation and the internal morphology of polyelectrolyte layers obtained by the layer-by-layer method. A multimodal characterization showed the absence of stratification of the films formed by the alternate deposition of poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate). Indeed the final organization might be regarded as three-dimensional solid-s...

We investigated the thermodynamical properties of water exchanged in poly(l-glutamic acid)/poly(allylamine)hydrochloride (PGA/PAH) polyelectrolyte multilayers containing ferrocyanide. Oxidation/reduction of the ferrocyanide in the multilayer caused a reversible swelling/contraction of the film due to the uptake/release of counter ions and water. We used electrochemical quartz crystal microbalan...

Polyelectrolyte spin assembly (PSA) of multilayers is a sequential process featuring adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes from dilute solutions undergoing spin-coating flow. Here, we report on the dependence of PSA multilayer buildup of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) and poly(allylamine hydrochloride) on solution ionic strength and spin speed. We observed that at a given spin spee...