Two-step deswelling in the Volume Phase Transition of thermoresponsive microgels.

ABSTRACT: Thermoresponsive microgels are one of the most investigated types of soft colloids, thanks to their ability to undergo a Volume Phase Transition (VPT) close to ambient temperature. However, this fundamental phenomenon still lacks a detailed microscopic understanding, particularly regarding the presence and the role of charges in the deswelling process. This is particularly important for the widely used poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based microgels, where the constituent monomers are neutral but charged groups arise due to the initiator molecules used in the synthesis. Here, we address this point combining experiments with state-of-the-art simulations to show that the microgel collapse does not happen in a homogeneous fashion, but through a two-step mechanism, entirely attributable to

SUBMITTER: Del Monte G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8449345 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature