title: Monodispersed glucose-responsive microgels operating at physiological salinity.
abstract: Monodispersed poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) submicrometric microgels modified with a phenylboronic acid (PBA) derivative have been synthesized by precipitation polymerization. Particles with a well-controlled size and adjustable composition were obtained. These particles were found to be glucose responsive at a pH close to the pKa of the PBA derivative, with a swelling degree proportional to the concentration of glucose. In addition, the response to glucose was found to strongly depend on the initial state of the microgel, which depended itself on the initial temperature and the functionalization degree of the particle. This result explained the fundamental difference in the behavior of PBA-poor particles and rich ones in the presence of electrolyte. Interestingly, the latter exhibited a high swelling ratio in the presence of glucose at physiological electrolyte concentration. These particles may serve as building blocks for the design of colorimetric sensors based on the light diffraction of colloidal crystals.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Analyse Chimique par Reconnaissance Moléculaire, ENSCPB, 16 Avenue Pey Berland, 33607 Pessac, France.
authors.forename: Véronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lapeyre
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gosse
authors.forename: Sylviane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chevreux
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ravaine
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000737:chemistry; D001897:Boronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*; D002197:Capillary Action; D005782:Gels; D005947:Glucose / Q000737:chemistry*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008954:Models, Biological; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D001897:Boronic Acids; D005782:Gels; D005947:Glucose; C010686:benzeneboronic acid