Study of Layer-by-Layer Assemblies of Chitosan and Heparin by Dual polarization interferometry (DPI) (CAT#: STEM-MB-0460-WXH)

Introduction

The layer-by-layer technique, LbL, has been extensively used during the past decade to create polymer films on both planar and colloidal surfaces. The LbL technique enables the formation of complex multilayer films relatively simply through the sequential adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the use of multilayers consisting of natural polyelectrolytes such as polysaccharides, polypeptides, and proteins because of their abundance, low toxicity, and biocompatibility. Therefore, the multilayers are promising systems for industrial applications in the biomedical field, for example, for the controlled release of drugs, in enzyme immobilization at biosensor surfaces, and for antibacterial coatings on medical implants. <br />Multilayer films can be formed with natural polysaccharides chitosan (CH) and heparin (HEP). This combination is of interest because the two polysaccharides have antibacterial and antiadhesive properties, respectively, and are therefore promising coatings for medical implants. In a recent study, it was found that the antibacterial performance of CH/HEP multilayers could be enhanced further by including silver nanoparticles in the multilayers.