Multilayers built from two component polyanions and single component polycation solutions: a way to engineer films with desired secondary structure

Polyelectrolyte multilayers were constructed through the alternation of mixed solutions of poly(L-glutamic acid) (PGA) and poly(L-aspartic acid) (PAA) polyanions and a solution of the polycation (poly(L-lysine) (PLL)) by using two independent techniques, Quartz crystal microbalance-dissipation (QCM-D) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results reveal that the self-assembling capacity of polyelectrolyte multilayers acquire from the presence of more than one polyanion in the build-up solutions could lead to properties which could not be attained by multilayers constructed only from pure polyanion and polycation solutions.