Polymer–surfactant complexation in polyelectrolyte multilayer assemblies

Layer-by-layer self-assembly can be used to incorporate amphiphilic molecules into multilayered polyelectrolyte architectures. This review examines equilibrium LbL assemblies constructed by direct adsorption from aqueous solution. LbL systems have not only provided fundamental insight into the nature of polyion-surfactant complexation, but have also yielded functional materials with useful surface, optical, and electronic properties.