Professor Daisuke Suzuki is an Associate Professor at Shinshu University. He is a research representative of the Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology (CREST) project. He received the SPSJ Award for outstanding papers in Polymer Journal (sponsored by ZEON).

Professor Takuma Kureha is an Assistant Professor at Hirosaki University. His current research interests include characterization of hydrogels and nanogels by scattering methods to control their functions.

Volume 1

Preface xiii

Part I Introduction and Perspective 1

1 Soft Microgels and Nanogels from a Physicochemical Perspective 3
Walter Richtering

2 Perspective on the Translational Potential of Responsive Micro- and Nanogels 15
L. Andrew Lyon

Part II Synthesis 31

3 Synthesis: Amphiphilic Random Copolymer Micelles: Design, Self-Assembly, and Functional Materials 33
Takaya Terashima

4 Advances in the Synthesis of Functional Colloidal Gels 51
Maria Isabell Pieper, Fabian Meyer, and Andrij Pich

Part III Characterization 79

5 Polymeric Microgels: Insights from Light Scattering, Electron Microscopy, and Optical Super-Resolution Techniques 81
Frank Scheffold and Xhorxhina Shaulli

6 Formation and Shear Yielding Dynamics of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-Based Colloidal Gels 105
Atsushi Yamamoto, Saori Minami, Daisuke Suzuki, and Kenji Urayama

7 Structural Characterization of Microgels by Means of Neutron Scattering, Reflectometry, and Computer Simulations 119
Andrea Scotti, Yuri Gerelli, Fabrizio Camerin, and Judith Elizabeth Houston

8 Dynamic and Direct Visualization of the Nanostructure and Functions of Microgels via High-speed Atomic Force Microscopy 169
Kentaro Yamanaka, Yuichiro Nishizawa, Takayuki Uchihashi, and Daisuke Suzuki

9 The Analysis of the Dynamics of Microgels and Their Assemblies Using Light Scattering Techniques 189
Keita Namba and Takuma Kureha

10 Computer Simulations of Nano- and Microgel Systems 205
Rustam A. Gumerov and Igor I. Potemkin

11 Electrophoresis of Micro/Nano Gels 241
Hiroyuki Ohshima

Volume 2

Preface xiii

Part IV Interface and Assembly 277

12 Microgel Assembly: From Bulk Phases to Interfaces 279
Xin Guan and To Ngai

13 Micro- and Nanogels at Fluid Interfaces: Single-Particle Properties and Collective Behavior 303
Jacopo Vialetto and Lucio Isa

14 Interfacial Behavior of Microgels Revealed via Direct Visualization at Fluid Interfaces 327
Takahisa Kawamoto, Haruka Minato, and Daisuke Suzuki

15 Microgels at Interfaces: From Model Interfaces to the Stabilization of Dispersed Systems 349
Valérie Ravaine and Véronique Schmitt

Part V Applications 385

16 Microgels for Biomedical Applications 387
Sanika Pandit and Ashley C. Brown

17 Polymer-Based Systems for Controlled Drug Delivery 403
Changhao Fang, Liang Hu, and Michael J. Serpe

18 Self-Assembled Polymer Nanoparticles from Amphiphilic Polymers with Diverse Molecular Architectures 433
Yusuke Sakamoto, Naoki Ozawa, and Tomoki Nishimura

19 Engineering Micro- and Nanogels with Affinities for Target Molecules 449
Luxia Cui and Yu Hoshino

20 Design and Applications of Stimuli-Responsive Micro/Nanogels 481
Takashi Miyata

21 Biomedical Application of Gel Materials Based on Self-assembled Nanogels 519
Asako Shimoda and Kazunari Akiyoshi

22 Electroactive Microgel Systems 533
Annika Lehmann, Annika Böhle, and Felix A. Plamper

Index 555