The hydrogel microspheres (microgels), which are colloidal particles of cross-linked polymeric networks, have attracted much attention in many applications due to their responsiveness to external stimuli. In order to further develop and create new applications for such microgels, understanding the interfacial behaviors of microgels is especially important. Our group has been investigating that the self-organization of dilute dispersions containing microgels during the evaporation exhibit unique drying behaviors due to their selective adsorption at the air/water interface of sessile droplets. So far, impacts of size, chemical composition and softness (degree of crosslinking) of microgels have been revealed. Additionally, it has been clarified that a single microgel is largely deformed immediately when they attached at the air/water interface, which was directly observed with an optical microscope equipped with a high-speed camera. Our findings of this study would promote further development in many applications that understanding the interfacial behaviors of soft and deformable microgels is crucial, including coating and sensors. Furthermore, recent results on self-organization of polyelectrolyte microgels and anisotropic microgels will also be discussed, and dynamics of various microgels and their assemblies that were deformed at the air/water interface will be summarized.

Self-assembly of deformable soft hydrogel microspheres at the air/water interface

2019 Fall National Meeting

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