Journal
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
Volume 60, Issue 13, Pages 7117-7125Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202014417
Keywords
dissipative self-assembly; fuels; microgels; nonequilibrium processes; polymers
Categories
Funding
- DFG [WA3084/4-2]
- Projekt DEAL
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This study introduces chemically fueled transient volume phase transitions for PMAA microgels, demonstrating controlled system behavior as a function of pH and fuel amount. Additionally, the technology showcased potential applications in transient encapsulation and time-programmed release.
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.
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