Gero Decher

Gero Decher is a German chemist and Distinguished Professor ("Professeur classe exceptionnelle") at the Faculty of Chemistry of University of Strasbourg. He is best known for his seminal role in the development of polyelectrolyte multilayers, which is today known as “layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly”, a simple yet powerful nanofabrication method that has enabled the development of entirely new technologies, such as biocompatible coatings on medical devices, ultrastrong nanocomposites, neural interfaces, charge-storage devices, gas separation, fire retardants, and gene delivery platforms. According to CNRS International Magazine, Decher's work has “sparked a small revolution in materials science”. Layer-by-layer assembly is now an established part of the nanobiotechnology curriculum.

Decher's work on the self-assembly and buildup of multilayer films by alternating application of anionic and cationic components during the early 1990s is generally credited for the revitalization of the layer-by-layer assembly technique and its current prevalence in nanoscience. His 1997 article on “fuzzy nanoassemblies” published in Science Magazine highlighted the potential of layer-by-layer assembly, and was identified by ISI as 8th most cited among all journal articles in chemistry in the decade 1997–2007. This article has been cited over 8000 times as of March 2019.

Over his career, Decher's research has focused on the layer-by-layer assembly method, macromolecules at interfaces, nanocomposite (bio)materials, (bio)functional nanoparticles, functional coatings, thin-film devices and nano-organized multi-materials in general. His current research is centered around the assembly of multi-nanocomposites with complex anisotropies. Provided by Wikipedia