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Tunable Surface Nanotopography with Disordered Hyperuniformity in Poly(ethylenimine)/Alginate-Based Multilayered
Md Nur Islam Sarker Nayan1, Md Nayeem Hasan Kashem1,2, Wenlong Shi3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Texas Tech University, 807 Canton Avenue, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|May 14, 2026
Summary
Researchers created disordered hyperuniformity-like nanostructures on polyelectrolyte multilayer films using a simple layer-by-layer assembly method. This breakthrough enables tunable surface patterns for advanced applications in energy and biomedicine.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Chemistry
Background:
- Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films assembled via layer-by-layer (LbL) are versatile materials with applications in energy, water, sensors, electronics, and biomedicine.
- Self-wrinkling in PEM films can create micro/nanoscale patterns for specific functionalities.
- Disordered hyperuniformity (DHU) describes a unique state of matter with local disorder and long-range order, exhibiting distinct properties in materials like 2D solids and alloys.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a straightforward method for generating DHU-like nanostructures on PEM films.
- To investigate the influence of solution pH and layer number on the resulting film topography.
- To explore the potential for creating functional nanocomposite films with retained surface features.
Main Methods:
- Utilized layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly with branched poly(ethylenimine) (BPEI) and alginate (ALG) solutions.
- Varied the pH of polyelectrolyte solutions and the number of deposited layers to control film morphology.
- Analyzed film nanostructures using autocovariance function to identify DHU characteristics and created a DHU "phase diagram".
Main Results:
- Tunable nanodot and nanopore-like topographies were achieved on PEM film surfaces.
- The pH of the terminal solution was identified as the dominant factor controlling nanostructure formation due to varying polyelectrolyte ionization.
- DHU-like nanostructures were observed within a specific narrow pH range for BPEI/ALG films.
- Introducing SiO2 nanoparticles into the PEM matrix successfully retained the nano/microfeatures.
Conclusions:
- A facile method for creating DHU-like nanotopographic patterns in PEM films was successfully demonstrated.
- The study provides a pathway to design and fabricate PEM films with tailored surface characteristics and functionalities.
- The findings open possibilities for manufacturing advanced functional nanocomposite films with controlled surface morphologies.
Keywords:
disordered hyperuniformitylayer-by-layer assemblypH-responsive polymer filmspolyelectrolyte multilayerself-wrinkling thin filmssurface nanotopography
