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Layer-By-Layer Assembly Of {Nanoclay-(Sol-Gel Oxide)}N And {Nanoclay-(Oxide Nanoparticle)}N Multilayers: Synthesis And Growth Mechanisms, Hao Chen

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Two new classes of all-inorganic nanostructured multilayers, {MMTx-(sol-gel oxide)}n and {MMTx-(oxide nanoparticle)}n, have been successfully synthesized for the first time. They were made by adapting a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly method initially developed to synthesize polyelectrolyte-based multilayers. In most previous studies, this electrostatic-assisted LbL assembly method used polyelectrolytes/polymers as the 'structural glue' to prepare multilayers. The synthesis of {MMTx-(sol-gel ZrO2)}n multilayers demonstrates for the first time the feasibility of making sol-gel oxide 'glued' all-inorganic multilayers, thereby introducing an innovative nanoscale fabrication concept. The synthesis of {MMTx-(oxide nanoparticle)}n multilayers further illustrates the versatility of LbL assembly technique by achieving a second new …