Smoothing of Fast Assembled Layer-by-layer Films by Adjusting Assembly Conditions

To prepare layer-by-layer(LbL) multilayers in time-efficient manners by the dipping method is highly appealing. However, the fast LbL assembly produces multilayers with high surface roughness. In our attempt to smooth the surface morphologies of LbL multilayers obtained by fast assembly(5 s dipping), we studied the influence of the assembly conditions on the surface morphologies. The study shows that by properly adjusting the assembly conditions, such as washing duration, water annealing period, and drying with nitrogen flow, LbL multilayers with enhanced surface smoothness could be obtained through fast LbL assembly.