Temperature-controlled transitions between glass, liquid, and gel states in dense p-NIPA suspensions.

DOI: 10.1002/adma.200904189 Microgels are particles made by chemically cross-linking a polymer to form particles of a gel that are colloidal in size. [ 1 , 2 ] Like their macroscopic counterparts, microgels can be swollen by a solvent, the degree of swelling depending on solvent quality and cross-link density. [ 3 , 4 ] As the solvent quality is governed by external stimuli such as temperature, a remarkably versatile control over the degree of swelling can be achieved in these systems. This makes microgels very attractive, for instance, for drug delivery [ 5 , 6 ] and sensing applications. [ 7 ]