Tailoring thermoresponsive microbeads in supercritical carbon dioxide for biomedical applications

▶ Micron-sized PNIPAAm beads were successfully synthesized in scCO2. ▶ A polymerization stabilizer enabled a well-defined morphology. ▶ The beads mechanical properties varied with the cross-linking species chosen. ▶ Cell-like microbeads may be suitable for probing tissue microenvironments.