Patent ID: 8062555

Claim:
A co-assembly method, comprising the step of allowing, in an aqueous polyelectrolyte composition comprising (a) a first polyelectrolyte dispersed in the composition and having a net electric charge of a first polarity, (b) a second polyelectrolyte dispersed in the composition and having a net electric charge of a second polarity, wherein the second polarity is opposite the first polarity, and (c) an electrolyte dissolved in the composition in a concentration effective to prevent co-assembly of the polyelectrolytes, co-assembly of the polyelectrolytes by: (1) decreasing the concentration of the electrolyte, or (2) forming an interface between the aqueous polyelectrolyte composition and a surface of a solid substrate or of a second liquid phase, wherein the surface has an affinity for at least one of the polyelectrolytes, or (3) (1) and (2), wherein the method has at least one feature selected from the group consisting of: (i) at least one member of the group consisting of the first polyelectrolyte and the second polyelectrolyte comprises nanoscale polyelectrolytic inorganic particles, and (ii) the first polyelectrolyte and the second polyelectrolyte are linear polymers.