Synthesis and characterization of pH-sensitive microgels by derivatization of npa-based reactive copolymers

There are some facts related to the ionizable pendant groups that influence and determine the pH-responsive swelling behaviour of microgels, such as the pKa, content, accesibility of these groups, and ionic strength of external solution. According to this, a simple and versatile derivatization strategy has been employed to design intelligent microgels with specific pH-sensitive swelling properties.