ABSTRACT
The surface properties of implants and biotechnological devices are of outstanding importance to direct and control interactions with living cells. Whereas biomimetic surfaces attempt to reproduce the organization of natural matrices, nonphysiological additives such as antimitotic drugs could help to manipulate cell responses in specific ways. Both aspects might be desirable aims for specific targets. A current approach to functionalize implants is based on nano-coating with polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) in the layer-by-layer (LbL) method introduced by Decher et al. (1992, 1997). LbL coating is realized by alternate deposition of polyelectrolytes on charged surfaces in a self-assembling and self-organizing process.
