  The fabrication of polyelectrolyte multilayer films (PEMs) using the
Layer-by-Layer (LbL) method is one of the most versatile approaches for
manufacturing functional surfaces. This is the result of the possibility to
control the assembly process of the LbL films almost at will, by changing the
nature of the assembled materials (building blocks), the assembly conditions
(pH, ionic strength, temperature, etc.) or even by changing some other
operational parameters which may impact in the structure and physico-chemical
properties of the obtained multi-layered films. Therefore, the understanding of
the impact of the above mentioned parameters on the assembly process of LbL
materials plays a critical role in the potential use of the LbL method for the
fabrication of new functional materials with technological interest. This
review tries to provide a broad physico-chemical perspective to the study of
the fabrication process of PEMs by the LbL method, which allows one to take
advantage of the many possibilities offered for this approach on the
fabrication of new functional nanomaterials.
