MAPLE deposition of biomaterial multilayers

Double layers of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-methyl-L-alanine (m-DOPA) thin films were obtained by matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation (MAPLE) technique, by depositing a first layer of m-DOPA on Si substrate and a second layer of PEG on top of it. The films were characterized by low angle X-ray diffraction (LAXRD), X-ray reflectivity (XRR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and micro-Raman spectroscopy. From these analyses it resulted that PEG was deposited without any relevant damage both in terms of chemical structure and molecular weight. Furthermore, PEG chains were mostly in the extended conformation, although PEG micelles appeared. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.