Polymer micelles as building blocks for layer-by-layer assembly of multilayers under a high-gravity field

Abstract

Construction of layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembled multilayers is fundamental to various research fields. But most conventional processes for LbL are time consuming, which restricts its further applications. There has been a general demand for shortening the construction time without affecting the multilayer structures. High-gravity (HG) technique is a well-established chemical engineering process which can strongly intensify mass and heat transfer. In this study, we introduced the HG technique into construction of multilayers through LbL self-assembly concerned with polymer micelles as building blocks. By using a model system of poly(diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA)/polystyrene-poly(acrylic acid) (PS-PAA) polymer micelle multilayers, the LbL process was examined under both conventional dipping conditions and a HG field. Ultraviolet–visible spectra and atomic force microscopy results showed that the time for LbL under a HG field has been shortened 6 times compared with dipping assembly while the resultant multilayers achieved comparable quality as those prepared under conventional dipping LbL.