Licensable Technologies : Materials : Manufacturing & Fabrication

Fabrication of Polyelectrolyte Multilayered Thin Films Via Self-Assembly

Abstract
This invention describes a general method for fabricating multilayered thin films from solution comprising polyelectrolytes of alternating charge. Existing technology limits the production of these thin films to techniques involving adsorption in aqueous solutions, which is difficult to control and is limited by the solubility of the polymer in water. In this new technology, mechanical deposition by spin-assembly using very short contact times produces non-equilibrium films whose thickness can be precisely controlled and is less limited by electrostatic interactions. Thus, different species of the same charge and in precise thicknesses can be assembled on top of each other.

Application(s)
This new fabrication method is broadly applicable to polyelectrolyte multilayered thin films that include light-emitting diodes and nonlinear optical devices, chemical and biological sensors and chemical separation membranes.

IP Status: Available both Exclusively and Non Exclusively

Reference Number: 174

S Number: DOE reference no.(s): 94,789

Patents & Applications:
United States National Patent Number 7179679 Issued on 02/20/2007

Posted: 09-17-2004

Contact
John Russell
Technology Transfer Division
Los Alamos National Laboratory
P.O. Box 1663, MailStop C334
(505) 665-3941
jrussell@lanl.gov