Biomedical Applications of Layer‐by‐Layer Assembly: From Biomimetics to Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The design of advanced, nanostructured materials at the molecular level is of tremendous interest for the scientific and engineering communities because of the broad application of these materials in the biomedical field. Among the available techniques, the layer‐by‐layer assembly method introduced by Decher and co‐workers in 1992 has attracted extensive attention because it possesses extraordinary advantages for biomedical applications: ease of preparation, versatility, capability of incorporating high loadings of different types of biomolecules in the films, fine control over the materials' structure, and robustness of the products under ambient and physiological conditions. In this context, a systematic review of current research on biomedical applications of layer‐by‐layer assembly is presented. The structure and bioactivity of biomolecules in thin films fabricated by layer‐by‐layer assembly are introduced. The applications of layer‐by‐layer assembly in biomimetics, biosensors, drug delivery, protein and cell adhesion, mediation of cellular functions, and implantable materials are addressed. Future developments in the field of biomedical applications of layer‐by‐layer assembly are also discussed.

Penicillin biosensor based on a capacitive field-effect structure functionalized with a dendrimer/carbon nanotube multilayer

“…Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are attractive for (bio-)chemical sensors because of their unique properties, which in most cases arise from the combination of electrical and chemical properties and nanosized dimensions (Balasubramanian and Burghard, 2006;Kim et al, 2007;Allen et al, 2007;Byon and Choi, 2006). One simple, versatile method to assemble dispersed CNTs is the layer-by-layer (LbL) technique, which offers fine control over film thickness and architecture (Hammond, 2004;Tang et al, 2006;Ariga et al, 2007), making it possible to combine different materials in a synergistic way (Jiang et al, 2004;Olek et al, 2004;Zucolotto et al, 2006;Siqueira et al, 2006Siqueira et al, , 2007Xue et al, 2006;Zucolotto et al, 2007). As a building unit for the multilayer films in biosensors, CNTs have often been combined with polyelectrolytes and highly branched dendritic macromolecules (Yang et al, 2006;Siqueira et al, 2008;Siqueira et al, 2009).…”

Polyelectrolyte Layer-by-Layer Assembly To Control the Distance between Fluorophores and Plasmonic Nanostructures

“…[15][16][17][18][19] A detail understanding of the MEF and its distance dependence nature is vital for its potential application in biomedical sensing. [20][21][22] Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] is based on the sequential adsorption of polycations and polyanions from dilute aqueous solution onto a solid substrate as a consequence of the electrostatic interaction and complex formation between oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. Starting from a functionalized solid substrate, it is possible to adsorb a variety of charged species ranging from polyelectrolytes, nanoparticles, and ionic dyes to many biological agents such as viruses, proteins, and DNA.…”

Strong Antimicrobial Coatings: Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Armored with Biopolymers

“…15 Similarly, favorable intermolecular interactions enable dispersion of individual and small bundles of SWNTs in proteins such as LSZ. 11,16,17 In this research, the strong Coulombic interactions between DNA and LSZ were exploited in the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly [18][19][20] of DNA-SWNT and LSZ-SWNT dispersions.…”