Form and Function in Multilayer Assembly: New Applications at the Nanoscale

Abstract New frontiers in materials and polymer science include the development of assembly processes that are flexible, allow the access and implementation of nanoscale structure and order, can provide access to a broad range of materials systems, and yet can be implemented at relatively low cost. The ability to fine tune the composition of nanostructured thin films on the nanometer length scale, when combined with inexpensive patterning and templating routes, provides a powerful tool for nano‐ and microscale assembly of devices and novel new material systems. The layer‐by‐layer electrostatic assembly technique is a rich, versatile, and significantly inexpensive approach to the formation of thin films via…