Self-assembled polyelectrolyte nanorings observed by liquid-cell AFM

Self-assembled polyelectrolyte nanorings formed by polyelectrolytes are presented for the first time in this work. They are formed by poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) and poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfanate) (PSS) during the two first steps of the formation of the self-assembled polyelectrolyte films (SAPFs). These are formed on a negatively charged glass surface and observed by an in situ liquid-cell AFM technique, which has recently been introduced as an alternative technique to follow polyelectrolyte multilayer formation without drying effects (Menchaca et at 2003 Colloids Surf A 222 185). Nanoring formation strongly depends on the preparation method and parameters such as polyelectrolyte filtration, air and CO2 presence during SAPFs formation and buffer solution. A necessary condition to obtain nanorings is that polyelectrolyte solutions have to be filtered prior to injection into the liquid-cell AFM. The outer diameter of nanorings can be varied from hundreds of nanometres to microns by changing these parameters. Nanorings are stable in the liquid cell for hours but they disappear on contact with air. Additionally, carbonate ions seem to be mainly responsible for the formation of this novel structure.