Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Microfluidic Synthesis of Microgel Building Blocks for Microporous Annealed Particle Scaffold
Published on: June 16, 2022
Assembly of oppositely charged microgels at the air/water interface
Daisuke Suzuki1, Koji Horigome
1Graduate School of Textile Science and Technology, Shinshu University, 3-15-1, Tokida, Ueda 386-8567, Japan. d_suzuki@shinshu-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
We present an assembly of cationic and anionic microgels at the air/water interface. Monodispersed, micrometer-sized, and oppositely charged microgels were synthesized by aqueous free-radical precipitation polymerization by using N-isopropylmethacrylamide, comonomers, and cross-linkers. The oppositely charged microgels were prepared by using different types of water-soluble initiators. These microgels were mixed in a solution to assemble them at the air/water interface. In particular, linear and branched chainlike structures of the microgels were spontaneously formed at the air/water interface. Effects of salt concentration, microgel concentration, and number ratio of cationic and anionic microgels on the structures of microgel assembly were investigated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy.
More Related Videos
12:07Fabricating Degradable Thermoresponsive Hydrogels on Multiple Length Scales via Reactive Extrusion, Microfluidics, Self-assembly, and Electrospinning
Published on: April 16, 2018
09:09Synthesis of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Janus Microhydrogels for Anisotropic Thermo-responsiveness and Organophilic/Hydrophilic Loading Capability
Published on: February 27, 2016
Related Concept Videos
Intermolecular Forces
Micelles