Versatile multilayer thin film preparation using hydrophobic interactions, crystallization, and chemical modification of poly(vinyl alcohol). 
Multilayer thin film coatings were prepared on silicon substrates.  Poly(vinyl alcohol) was adsorbed from aqueous solution to propyldimethylsilyl-modified silicon wafers.  This thin semicrystalline coating was chemically modified using acid chlorides to form thicker, hydrophobic coatings.  The products of the modification reactions allowed adsorption of a subsequent layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) that could subsequently be hydrophobized.  This two-step process (adsorption/chemical modification) allows layer-by-layer deposition to prepare coatings with thickness, chemical structure, and wettability control.