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RESEARCH PRODUCT
Chemically Fueled Volume Phase Transition of Polyacid Microgels
Sebastian LoescherJonas HeckelRobert T. MathersAndreas Walthersubject
Phase transition540 Chemistry and allied sciencesMaterials scienceSupramolecular chemistry010402 general chemistrydissipative self-assembly01 natural sciencesnonequilibrium processesCatalysismicrogelschemistry.chemical_compoundColloidMicrogels | Hot PaperDNA nanotechnologyfuelsAutonomous controlResearch Articlespolymerschemistry.chemical_classification010405 organic chemistryMaterial systemGeneral ChemistryPolymerGeneral Medicine0104 chemical sciencesChemical engineeringMethacrylic acidchemistry540 ChemieResearch Articledescription
Abstract Microgels are soft colloids that show responsive behavior and are easy to functionalize for applications. They are considered key components for future smart colloidal material systems. However, so far microgel systems have almost exclusively been studied in classical responsive switching settings using external triggers, while internally organized, autonomous control mechanisms as found in supramolecular chemistry and DNA nanotechnology relying on fuel‐driven out‐of‐equilibrium concepts have not been implemented into microgel systems. Here, we introduce chemically fueled transient volume phase transitions (VPTs) for poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) microgels, where the collapsed hydrophobic state can be programmed using the fuel concentration in a cyclic reaction network. We discuss details of the system behavior as a function of pH and fuel amount, unravel kinetically trapped regions and showcase transient encapsulation and time‐programmed release as a first application.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-02-24 | Angewandte Chemie |