Polyelectrolyte Multilayers: An Overview on Fabrication, Properties, and Biomedical and Environmental Applications

Abstract

Polyelectrolyte multilayers are versatile materials that are used in a large number of domains, including biomedical and environmental applications. The fabrication of polyelectrolyte multilayers using the layer-by-layer technique is one of the simplest methods to obtain composite functional materials. The properties of the final material can be easily tuned by changing the deposition conditions and the used building blocks. This review presents the main characteristics of polyelectrolyte multilayers, the fabrication methods currently used, and the factors influencing the layer-by-layer assembly of polyelectrolytes. The last section of this paper presents some of the most important applications of polyelectrolyte multilayers, with a special focus on biomedical and environmental applications.

Multilayer Films Based on Chitosan/Pectin Polyelectrolyte Complexes as Novel Platforms for Buccal Administration of Clotrimazole

“…Shortly, the multilayer systems are mostly identified with the aforementioned Lbl method, which allows for the deposition of the oppositely charged components with nanoscale control over size, structure or shape of the final composite [20]. As different types of Lbl technique, including dipping, spraying, or spinning-assisted ones, have been developed so far, wide utilization of polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) in coating geometrically diversified medical devices can be observed [21]. Nevertheless, despite the undeniable novelty of Lbl-assembled composites, high costs and low drug entrapment efficiency are listed as the main reasons of their limited use as drug carriers.…”

Acrylate and Methacrylate Polymers’ Applications: Second Life with Inexpensive and Sustainable Recycling Approaches

“…Thanks to these properties, polyelectrolytes are largely employed as rheology and surface modifiers [ 26 ]. In addition, flat surfaces functionalized with polyelectrolyte multilayers can act as antimicrobial surfaces or as supports for tissue engineering [ 27 , 28 ]. These kinds of polymers are used in ceramic slurries as stabilizing agents [ 29 ], in concrete mixtures as superplasticizers [ 30 ] and in water treatment as flocculation agents [ 31 ].…”

“…These kinds of polymers are used in ceramic slurries as stabilizing agents [ 29 ], in concrete mixtures as superplasticizers [ 30 ] and in water treatment as flocculation agents [ 31 ]. The ability to interact at the atomic level with various types of active compounds made them suitable active colloidal supports for loading/release of drugs, proteins, enzymes, or pollutants as dyes, pesticides, humic acids and heavy metal ions [ 27 , 32 ]. Certainly, their properties are strongly correlated to the electrostatic interactions established in the polyelectrolyte solutions and thus depend on the pH value and ionic strength of the solution [ 25 ].…”

“…All these features lead to the employment of these polymers in several fields from biomedicine to food industry, to environmental remediation and electronic applications. In the latter field, hybrid polyelectrolyte multilayers, obtained by layer-by-layer techniques, show the best performance in terms of sensor selectivity and sensitivity [ 27 , 36 ].…”

Facile Modification of NF Membrane by Multi-Layer Deposition of Polyelectrolytes for Enhanced Fouling Resistance

“…Another approach for making the membrane surface more hydrophilic is the coating of the surface with polyelectrolytes for tuning the membranes both physically and chemically [13]. The polyelectrolytes are deposited on the membrane surface using layerby-layer (LBL) coating [14]. These coatings can be applied by spray-coating, spin-coating, and dip-coating [15].…”