title: Layer-by-layer assembly of polymersomes and polyelectrolytes on planar surfaces and microsized colloidal particles.
abstract: Hybrid polyelectrolyte multilayer systems were fabricated on top of planar surfaces and colloidal particles via layer by layer (LbL) assembly of polystyrene sulphonate (PSS) and polybenzyl methacrylate-block-poly(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (PBzMA-b-PDMAEMA) polymersomes. Polymersomes were prepared by self assembly of PBzMA-b-PDMAEMA copolymer, synthesised by group transfer polymerisation. Polymersomes display a diameter of 270 nm and a shell thickness of 11nm. Assembly on planar surfaces was followed by means of the Quartz Crystal Microbalance with Dissipation (QCM-D) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Detailed information on the assembly mechanism and surface topology of the polymersome/polyelectrolyte films was thereby obtained. The assembly of polymersomes and PSS on top of silica particles of 500 nm in diameter was confirmed by ζ-potential measurements. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that polymersome/PSS coated silica particles increase in total diameter up to 3-5μm. This hints toward the formation of densely packed polymersome layers. In addition, CLSM showed that polymersome/PSS films exhibit a high loading capacity that could potentially be used for encapsulation and delivery of diverse chemical species. These results provide an insight into the formation of multilayered films with compartmentalised hydrophilic/hydrophobic domains and may lead to the successful application of polymersomes in surface-engineered colloidal systems.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), CONICET, Diagonal 113 y 64 (1900), La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coustet
authors.affiliation: CIC BiomaGUNE, 182 Paseo Miramón, 20009 San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Joseba
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Irigoyen
authors.affiliation: CIC BiomaGUNE, 182 Paseo Miramón, 20009 San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Teodoro Alonso
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.affiliation: CIC BiomaGUNE, 182 Paseo Miramón, 20009 San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.affiliation: CIC BiomaGUNE, 182 Paseo Miramón, 20009 San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), CONICET, Diagonal 113 y 64 (1900), La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Susana Cortizo
authors.affiliation: Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT), Donau-City-Strasse 1, 1220 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Knoll
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA), Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), CONICET, Diagonal 113 y 64 (1900), La Plata, Argentina. Electronic address: azzaroni@inifta.unlp.edu.ar.
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Azzaroni
authors.affiliation: CIC BiomaGUNE, 182 Paseo Miramón, 20009 San Sebastián, Spain. Electronic address: smoya@cicbiomagune.es.
authors.forename: Sergio E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Moya
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids / Q000737:chemistry*; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods; D010316:Particle Size; D011108:Polymers / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D004573:Electrolytes; D011108:Polymers
keywords: Colloidal nanomaterials; Layer-by-layer assembly; Polymersomes