Ways for fabricating stable layer-by-layer self-assemblies: combined ionic self-assembly and post chemical reaction

This paper presents a summary of the efforts in fabricating stable layer-by-layer self-assemblies, which are achieved through combination of ionic self-assembly and post chemical reaction. We concentrate on multilayer fabrication using a photoreactive diazo resin (DAR) as the polycation to alternately assemble with species containing sulfonate or carboxylic groups in their backbone, and the post photoreaction that changes the electrostatic interaction at the interfaces into covalent bonds. As been shown, the stability of thus assembled multilayers is increased dramatically. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.