hide
Free keywords:
-
Abstract:
This feature article is intended to describe a route from Langmuir monolayers as most suitable and well defined models to polyelectrolyte multilayers. The latter are structurally controlled not with Angstrom but with nm precision, however, they are very modular as regards building blocks and function as well as robust, therefore promising many diverse applications. There have been many methods developed to structurally characterize Langmuir monolayers, and therefore they serve as models in membrane biophysics, materials science as well as in general physics as two-dimensional model systems. Many of these methods as well as ideas to control interfaces could be taken over to study polyelectrolyte multilayers with their extended internal interfaces. Finally as an outlook we try to sketch various aspects to transit towards systems with higher structural hierarchy, enabling the coupling of different functions and arriving at responsive three-dimensional systems