Preparation and characterization of ordered nanoparticle and polymer composite multilayers on colloids

Abstract

Alternating nanoparticle/polymer composite multilayers have been assembled on submicrometer-sized polystyrene (PS) latex spheres by the sequential adsorption of silica nanoparticles (SiO2) and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) from aqueous solutions. Growth of the composite multilayers on the PS lattices was followed by electrophoretic mobility (EPM), single-particle light scattering (SPLS), scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). EPM measurements revealed a reversal in ζ-potential with deposition of each SiO2 or PDADMAC layer; negative and positive values were observed for SiO2 and PDADMAC depositions, respectively. SPLS e..