From Langmuir monolayers to nanocapsules

This report intends to draw a line from the controlled preparation and understanding of Langmuir monolayers to the fabrication of hollow capsules with exciting perspectives for basic science and applications. It is shown that methods used to characterize structure and transport properties of Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films could be used to study polymeric ultrathin films. Since the latter are permeable to small molecules they could be used to prepare capsules after coating depolymerizable colloids. The inside of the capsule can be designed such that it is distinguished by inner walls and pH in the interior to perform a specific chemistry. As an application example selective precipitation of a dye molecule as a model for drug loading is presented. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.