We describe the preparation of a thermoresponsive microgel, which can non-covalently immobilize active proteins with enhanced biocatalytic performance in organic solvents and easy reusability due to the porous microstructure and temperature responsive property.

Microfluidic chips are powerful tools for biochemical experiments. High speed and precise flow control can be achieved by using microvalves on a chip. Several types of microvalves that can be integrated into a microfluidic chip have been reported. Among them, gel microvalves have certain advantages over other valves because of their soft structure, which will contribute to prevent mechanical da...

HYPOTHESIS Previous efforts to formulate smart foams composed of mixtures of PNIPAAm, a thermoresponsive uncharged polymer, and surfactants have failed because the surfactant displaces the PNIPAAm from the liquid-air interface, removing the thermal responsiveness. We hypothesized that thermoresponsive foams could be formulated with such a mixture if a charged surfactant were used in order to an...

Microand nanostructured surfaces found in biological systems have inspired the fabrication of functional materials with unique optical, chemical, and mechanical properties. Inspired by the nanofibrillar structures of gecko adhesives, we recently reported self-selective, chemical connectors (i.e., fasteners) based on interpenetrating nanowire (NW) forests, which primarily use the highly tunable ...

We have prepared thermoresponsive chromatographic matrices by introducing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) chains onto silica beads for separation of bioactive compound in aqueous media [1]. This system is highly useful to control function and properties of the stationary phase for high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) by only change in column temperature, and has advantages in maintaining b...

Novel nanogels that possess the capacity to change their physico-chemical properties in response to external stimuli are promising drug-delivery candidates for the treatment of severe skin diseases. As thermoresponsive nanogels (tNGs) are capable of enhancing penetration through biological barriers such as the stratum corneum and are taken up by keratinocytes of human skin, potential adverse co...

Preparation of cross-linked pH/thermoresponsive microspheres from preformed polymers is still lacking in literature since copolymers possessing both temperature- and pH-sensitive units together with a cross-linkable moiety in appropriate ratios are required. Moreover, choosing of the appropriate drugs able to be loaded and then released in a pulsatile manner is randomly performed. Here, we repo...

Novel first (G1) and second (G2) generation dendrimers based on three-fold branched oligoethylene glycol dendrons are efficiently synthesized which show characteristic thermoresponsive behavior and negligible cytotoxicity (for G2).

Thermoresponsive TiO2/SiO2 one-dimensional photonic crystals (Bragg stacks) fabricated via sol–gel processing methods represent a promising class of environmentally responsive nanostructures featuring optically encoded temperature and humidity detection. The thermo-optic response of the layer materials is amplified by their inherent porosity owing to adsorption/desorption of ambient humidity in...

Thermoresponsive polymer-coated magnetic nanoparticles loaded with anti-cancer drugs are of considerable interest for novel multi-modal cancer therapies. Such nanoparticles can be used for magnetic drug targeting followed by simultaneous hyperthermia and drug release. Gamma-Fe(2)O(3) iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNP) with average sizes of 14, 19 and 43 nm were synthesized by high temperat...