Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of polyelectrolytes to multifunctional polyelectrolyte multilayer hollow capsules (PMCs) with a core-shell structure is now a well-established method. PMCs have been shown to have several potential applications including their application as drug delivery vehicles with controlled and targeted drug release. Along with polyelectrolytes, inorganic materials such as nanoparticles and ligands can be used to make the capsules respond to certain stimuli and also target them to specific sites. In this special issue devoted to biomaterials development in India, we focus on bringing some of the research done by our group in the past 15 years related to LbL methodology for drug delivery applications, especially using PMCs. Our contributions to stimuli-responsive LbL capsules and nanomaterial-based capsules will be highlighted. Also, the use of LbL methodology for probiotics will be presented. We believe that LbL methodology is a very versatile tool for engineering hollow capsules and surfaces, which can be used in many applications including drug delivery.
Keywords: biomaterials; capsules; controlled drug release; drug delivery; layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly; microparticles; multilayer films; polyelectrolyte multilayer capsules.