PNIPAm-based microgels with a UCST response

We prepared a novel thermoresponsive microgel which, although mainly constituted by pNIPAm, shows a remarkable UCST transition in physiological ionic strength conditions, with a 150% diameter increase from 34 °C to 40 °C in PBS buffer. The collapsed conformation (below 34 °C) is stabilized by supramolecular interactions that are disrupted by the collapse of the pNIPAm segments above this temperature.228