Electrostatically assembled polyelectrolyte/dendrimer multilayer films as ultrathin nanoreservoirs

Abstract

We report the preparation of loadable ultrathin, multilayered polyelectrolyte/dendrimer films by the sequential electrostatic deposition of negatively charged poly(styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and a positively charged fourth generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimer (4G PAMAM). Multilayers were first constructed on planar supports to examine their layer-by-layer growth. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) measurements showed regular growth for each layer deposited, while UV-vis spectrophotometry revealed an adsorption-desorption trend to film formation, with partial PSS removal upon deposition of 4G PAMAM. PSS/4G PAMAM films were subsequently constructed on spherical latex colloids. Fluorescence spectr..