Final Activity Report Summary - RESPONSE (Responsive Surface Assemblies) The project aimed to understand the build-up process of environmentally friendly polyion-polyion, polyelectrolyte or nanoparticles, multilayers, as well as the responses of these multilayers to ambient stimuli. Multilayer research is important in the area of interfacial engineering since it paves the way to the design of smart surface coatings for a range of applications, including low friction surfaces, anti-soiling applications and targeted and controlled drug delivery and release. It is also of importance for protecting certain biological surfaces such as mucous coatings that are exposed to harsh environments. The primary function of mucus coatings is to protect underlying tissues against environmental insult and desiccation and to provide superb lubrication. It is known that mucins are readily removed from surfaces by surfactants broadly used in personal care products. The results of our study showed that, by building multilayers of mucins with biologically compatible polyelectrolytes, such as chitosans, the affinity of the polylelectrolyte layers to the surfaces could be changed so that the protective mucin layers became resistant to surfactant attack. Thus, a possible way of mucus layer protection was offered.
