Self-assembled polyelectrolyte multilayers

Recent developments in the field of self-assembly of polyelectrolyte multilayers are presented and discussed. Fundamental studies of multilayers on planar or colloidal supports have in the past few years advanced from structural studies towards questions of the internal composition, dynamics, hydration, and interactions in multilayers. This is accompanied by new theoretical concepts and models for the multilayer assembly. Furthermore, in the past years the development of coating procedures onto colloidal templates instead of planar substrates has had a large impact on the field, leading either to the formation of new types of nanostructures, such as hollow shells with large application potential or colloid coating offered additional possibilities for fundamental multilayer studies involving volume methods. Finally, permeability studies are today an essential tool in providing an understanding of transport processes in these semi-permeable membranes, which are essential for applications such as drug encapsulation or membrane separation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.