title: 3D Structures of Responsive Nanocompartmentalized Microgels.
abstract: Compartmentalization in soft matter is important for segregating and coordinating chemical reactions, sequestering (re)active components, and integrating multifunctionality. Advances depend crucially on quantitative 3D visualization in situ with high spatiotemporal resolution. Here, we show the direct visualization of different compartments within adaptive microgels using a combination of in situ electron and super-resolved fluorescence microscopy. We unravel new levels of structural details and address the challenge of reconstructing 3D information from 2D projections for nonuniform soft matter as opposed to monodisperse proteins. Moreover, we visualize the thermally induced shrinkage of responsive core-shell microgels live in water. This strategy opens doors for systematic in situ studies of soft matter systems and their application as smart materials.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Arjan P H
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Gelissen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oppermann
authors.affiliation: GFE Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, RWTH Aachen University , Mies-van-der-Rohe-Straße 59, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Caumanns
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hebbeker
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sarah K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Turnhoff
authors.affiliation: DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials , Forckenbeckstraße 50, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Rahul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.affiliation: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eisold
authors.affiliation: Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: Soft Matter and Functional Materials, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie , Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1, D-14109 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: GFE Central Facility for Electron Microscopy, RWTH Aachen University , Mies-van-der-Rohe-Straße 59, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Richtering
authors.affiliation: DWI - Leibniz-Institute for Interactive Materials , Forckenbeckstraße 50, D-52074 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University , Landoltweg 2, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wöll
keywords: Nanoscale soft materials; cryogenic transmission electron microscopy; in situ transmission electron microscopy; microgels; nanoparticles; super-resolved localization microscopy