Size-Selective Organization of Silica and Silica-Like Particles on Solid Interfaces through Layer-by-Layer Assembly

Abstract

Employing a layer-by-layer assembly technique, we created three-dimensional architectures of silica and silica-like particles on solid interfaces. Atomic force and scanning electron microscopy confirmed a size-selection effect for assembling a mixture of two kinds of monodispersed silica particles prepared through the sol-gel process. Size-selective assembly was also applied for layer-by-layer organization of Cerasomes, which are organic-inorganic vesicular hybrids with a silica-like structure on the lipid bilayer surface. This study obtained an alternating layer-by-layer assembly of Cerasomes with a relatively uniform size on solid interfaces from polydispersed aqueous colloids of a surface-modified cationic Cerasome with an unmodified anionic Cerasome or an anionic poly(vinyl sulfate). Quartz crystal microbalance measurements and atomic force microscopy were used to evaluate this assembly process.