A series of multilayer films were fabricated alternately from poly(4-vinylpyridine) solution and mixed Solutions of two carboxyl-terminated dendrimers. UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy was applied to study the composition of the multilayer films. In contrast to mixed Solutions of linear polymers, the total amount of dendrimers in multilayer film is independent of the ratio of dendrimers in mixed solution, which is possibly due to the globular conformation of the dendrimer. Furthermore, the ratio of two dendrimers in films is linearly dependent on the ratio of the two dendrimers in solutions, which facilitates control of the composition in multilayer films. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.