Journal
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Volume 10, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-09227-5
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) [SFB 985]
- Swiss National Science Foundation [PP00P2_144646/1, PP00P2_172913/1]
- Government of the Russian Federation [02.A03.21.0011]
- International Helmholtz Research School of Biophysics and Soft Matter (IHRS BioSoft)
- Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF) [PP00P2_172913] Funding Source: Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Microgels are solvent-swollen nano- and microparticles that show prevalent colloidal-like behavior despite their polymeric nature. Here we study ultra-low crosslinked poly(N-iso-propylacrylamide) microgels (ULC), which can behave like colloids or flexible polymers depending on dimensionality, compression or other external stimuli. Small-angle neutron scattering shows that the structure of the ULC microgels in bulk aqueous solution is characterized by a density profile that decays smoothly from the center to a fuzzy surface. Their phase behavior and rheological properties are those of soft colloids. However, when these microgels are confined at an oil-water interface, their behavior resembles that of flexible macromolecules. Once monolayers of ultra-low crosslinked microgels are compressed, deposited on solid substrate and studied with atomic-force microscopy, a concentration-dependent topography is observed. Depending on the compression, these microgels can behave as flexible polymers, covering the substrate with a uniform film, or as colloidal microgels leading to a monolayer of particles.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available