AFM adhesion imaging for the comparison of polyelectrolyte complexes and polyelectrolyte multilayers

The adhesion and topography of dry surfaces treated with polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs) and multilayers (PEMs) of PAH/PAA or CPAM/silica nanoparticles were studied using AFM adhesion mapping. PEMs gave higher adhesion than did PECs for the PAH/PAA system, but adhesion did not differ significantly between PEMs and PECs for the CPAM/silica system. The latter system displayed multiple release patterns, interpreted as disentanglements and tentatively ascribed to nanoparticle presence. AFM adhesion mapping is valuable for analysing PEC and PEM. The measurements should, however, be combined with separate force measurements for a more complete picture of the adhesion.