OIERP

Specialty: Layer-by-Layer Nanoassembly
Research Center: Institute for Micromanufacturing
Research Lab: The Nanoassembly Laboratory

A layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of alternating layers of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes and nanoparticles provides the formation of 5 – 500 nm thick films with monolayers of various substances growing in a preset sequence on any substrates at a growth step of about 1 nm. This technique was called “molecular beaker epitaxy” meaning by this that with simple instruments (exploiting the materials’ self-assembly tendency) one can get molecularly organized films similar to the ones obtained with highly sophisticated and expensive molecular beam epitaxy technology for metals and semiconductors. LbL films can coat solid supports, slides, silicon wafers, plastics, and fiber optics (2D nanoassembly). Besides, LbL films can be assembled on micro- and nanotemplates, such as 100-500 nm diameter latex, drug microcrystals, biological cells, and even viruses, provided by this method for 3D nanoassembly. Polymeric nanoshells also can be prepared with LbL assembly.