Interfacial Behavior of Hydrogel Particles at the Air/Water Interface

Abstract

Hydrogel particles (microgels) are colloidal particles, which consist of three-dimensional cross-linked polymers swelling in water. Unlike solid particles, the water-swollen and soft microgels adsorb spontaneously at the air/water interface and can deform significantly at the interface. The attractive properties of these microgels are expected to be applied and developed in a wide range of materials, such as stabilizers for emulsions/foams and coatings. In this paper, the specific interfacial behavior of microgels and their functionalization are presented.