Colloidal and molecular assemblies for bioengineering applications

Identifier:  TDX:339

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX339

Authors:  Pescador Álvarez, Paula

Abstract:
The layer-by-layer (LbL) coating of charged surfaces with oppositely charged materials is a powerful and versatile approach for the fabrication of functional molecular assemblies and interfaces. The key advantages of this technique over other methodologies such as self-assembled monolayers (SAM) or Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) are its unparalleled flexibility in combination with its simplicity and inexpensiveness. With simple instrumentation and easy preparation steps it is possible to assemble highly complex and stable architectures with nanoscale control over their composition and structure.The LbL approach is particularly suitable for the integration of biomolecules (proteins, lipids, DNA) into functional multilayers, since layer buildup is carried out under mild conditions. Many biologically relevant species can be incorporated into the films while maintaining or even improving their biological functions. A further advantage of this technique is that substrates of virtually any size and shape can be coated with functional films in a simple and controlled fashion. Of particular interest has been the extension of the LbL method to the modification of colloidal particles. Apart from their interest from a fundamental and applied point of view, colloids have emerged as powerful tools particularly suited to meet the challenge of creating tailored building blocks for the rapidly evolving fields of bio- and nanotechnology. The LbL functionalisation of colloidal particles provides a new route for the creation of composite architectures which allow the integration of nanoscale-defined materials into two- and three-dimensional structures. This ultimately opens the way not only to functional microsystems but also to the fabrication of macroscopic devices.One of the fields in which th