Preparation of nanoporous polyelectrolyte multilayer films via nanoparticle templating

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte-nanoparticle hybrid multilayer films were used as templates for the preparation of nanoporous polymer thin films. The hybrid multilayers were constructed by consecutively depositing an anionic blend of silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and a cationic polyelectrolyte, poly(allyamine hydrochloride) (PAH). Layer-by-layer growth of the multilayers with different SiO2 NP sizes (25, 45, and 85 nm in diameter) and at different pH was followed by quartz crystal microgravimetry (QCM). Film buildup, as assessed by QCM mass changes, was 3 times larger when assembled with PAH at pH 9 than with PAH at pH 5. After chemically cross-linking the PAA/PAH within the f..