Electrokinetic investigation of polyelectrolyte adsorption and multilayer formation on a polymer surface

Self assembled polyelectrolyte layers of poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS), and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) were deposited on planar poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrates using the layer-by-layer technique. Charged functional groups were generated on the polymer substrates by means of a surface modification procedure prior to polyelectrolyte adsorption. The layers were characterised concerning their electrokinetic properties. The build-up of multilayer architectures could be followed by changes of the zeta-potential versus pH curves. An increase of coating density with increasing layer number was found. The electrokinetic properties of the PET substrates were not recognised anymore if more then four layers were applied. If PSS formed the outermost layer these assemblies were very stable against shear forces while if PDADMAC formed the outermost layer the films were partially destroyed by high shear forces.