Electrostatic-mediated multilayer assembly

An alternate route to assembly of nanoparficles as hollow spheres that does not require a polymerization reaction step is sequential electrostatic assembly. Electrostatic-mediated multilayer assembly of charged particles was first demonstrated by R. Her on planar surfaces, wherein he established the proof-of-principle to deposit particles sequentially onto soUd substrates [25]. Decher advanced this scheme by assembling alternately charged PEs (e.g., polycations and polyanions) onto solid supports. Ever since, this scheme has been used to form capsules by sequential electrostatic deposition of single or multiple coatings of materials on preformed colloidal templates and subsequent removal of the template by calcination or solvent dissolution. This constitutes the LBL method for assembly of hoUow spheres. 

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