A confocal microscopy study of micron-sized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) microgel particles at the oil-water interface and anisotopic flattening of highly swollen microgel

Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) was applied to examine the structure of responsive soft PNIPAM microgel particles at decane/water interface in a microgel-stabilized emulsion. The deformation of ordinary, micron-sized microgel samples was not significant if they were not at pH-swollen state. However, the soft, pH-swollen microgel particles showed anisotropic deformation at the decane-water interface.218