Design and Synthesis of Core–Shell Microgels with One‐Step Clickable Crosslinked Cores and Ultralow Crosslinked Shells

Abstract

between the azide present on the core and dibenzocyclooctyne containing fluorophores to make dyed core-shell microgels is further demonstrated. This approach toward dyed core-shell microgels eliminates the difficulty of crossreactivity between shell-localized chemoligation sites and the core-localized functionalities. The use of strained-ring systems to achieve the click reaction eliminates the use of cytotoxic catalysts common in traditional click chemistry. This approach allows not only to label the microgel core with different fluorophores but also to synthesize multiprobe core-shell microgel by simultaneously labeling a microgel core with multiple different fluorophores.

Unusual Shell Morphologies of Responsive Amino Core‐Shell Microgels Induced by pH During Shell Synthesis

“…Similar structures were observed in literature for microgels containing glycidyl methacrylate or with composite particles from a hydrogel core and a “raspberry‐shaped” polystyrene shell and might relate to the adsorption of secondary particles onto the core or some kind of microphase separation in the shell. [ 52,53 ]…”

“…Similar structures were observed in literature for microgels containing glycidyl methacrylate or with composite particles from a hydrogel core and a "raspberry-shaped" polystyrene shell and might relate to the adsorption of secondary particles onto the core or some kind of microphase separation in the shell. [52,53] With a basic pH during shell synthesis, two separate microgel species, as visible from the bottom image in Figure 5, are formed. Even though the PCS data certify the presence of a shell for the larger species, it does not show a pronounced shell as it is the case with the other microgels.…”