| Abstract
| - A method for incorporating uncharged, nonpolar polymers, polystyrene and poly[2-(6‘-cyano-6‘-methyl-heptyloxy)-1,4-phenylene] (CN-PPP), in the stepwise adsorption of polyelectrolyte multilayers is reported.Polystyrene and CN-PPP adsorbed irreversibly from toluene solution onto polyelectrolyte surfaces. Thethickness of the adsorbed nonpolar layer was sufficient to cause the wettability of the surface to changefrom hydrophilic to hydrophobic but only attenuated subsequent polyelectrolyte adsorption and did notterminate it. Ultraviolet−visible spectroscopy provided evidence for the incorporation of the nonpolarpolymers within the polyelectrolyte multilayers. The resultant composite film containing poly(styrene)displayed a reduced swellability by water vapor compared to a polyelectrolyte-only film, also consistentwith the presence of the hydrophobic polymer within the film.
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