The effect of hydrostatic pressure over the swelling of microgel particles

Abstract

We review our recent results on the use of hydrostatic pressure to change the size and the structure of microgel particles based on poly-(N-isopropylacrylamide). These changes are brought about through changes in the miscibility of the polymer in the solvent. Swelling induced by hydrostatic pressure can thus be thought of as an alternative to swelling induced by temperature, an interesting fact that can be exploited in the study of fundamental problems in soft condensed matter.