Probing the effect of the capping polyelectrolyte on the internal structure of Layer-by-Layer decorated nanoliposomes

Hypothesis: The internal organization of polyelectrolyte layers deposited on colloidal templates plays a very important role for the potential applications of these systems as capsules for drug delivery purposes.Experiments: The mutual arrangement of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte layers upon their deposition on positively charged liposomes has been studied by combining up three different scattering techniques and Electronic Spin Resonance, which has provided information about the inter-layer interactions and their effect on the final structure of the capsules.Findings: The sequential deposition of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes on the external leaflet of pos-itively charged liposomes allows modulating the organization of the obtained supramolecular structures, impacting the packing and rigidity of the obtained capsules due to the change of the ionic cross-linking of the multi-layered film as a result of the specific charge of the last deposited layer. The possibility to mod-ulate the properties of the LbL capsules by tuning the characteristics of the last deposited layers offers a very interesting route for the design of materials for encapsulation purposes with their properties con-trolled almost at will by changing the number of deposited layers and their chemistry.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc.

Automated summary

The internal organization of polyelectrolyte layers deposited on colloidal templates has a significant impact on their potential applications as drug delivery capsules. Through experiments, it has been revealed that the arrangement of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte layers on positively charged liposomes can be modulated by sequential deposition, which affects the structure and properties of the capsules. This provides an interesting route for designing encapsulation materials with controlled properties by tuning the characteristics of the last deposited layers.