No abstract

Hair is a proteinaceous fibre with a strongly hierarchical organization of subunits, from the alpha-keratin chains, via intermediate filaments, to the fibre. The chemistry of the different morphological compartments results in exciting physical properties, including the hydrophilic/hydrophobic paradox. The present tutorial review will be of interest for protein- as well as polymer chemists, who want to learn from nature, and also for biochemists interested in the cytoskeleton and particularly in intermediate filaments; it also presents a scientific basis for hair cosmetics.

No abstract

The thermal transition of a thermoresponsive microgel of poly‐N‐isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM; transition temperature=34 °C) is shifted to higher temperatures when it is embedded in a shell of temperature‐sensitive poly‐N‐isopropylmethacrylamide (PNIPMAM; transition temperature=44 °C). The magnitude of the shift depends on the shell/core mass ratio. A thick shell induces a third transition arising from strong mechanical forces exerted on the core.

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