Polymer Nanogels and Microgels

Dear Colleagues,

Water-born polymer colloids have been for a long time in focus of academic and industrial research. In our days polymer colloids form an important division of industrially relevant polymers in coatings and paper industries. Polymer colloids are still intensively explored for new challenging applications in microelectronic, biotechnology and medicine.

This special issue will be dedicated to aqueous nanogels and microgels which are 3D colloidal polymer networks with tuneable properties and enormous application potential. The term microgels has been mentioned in the literature already in the 1930 by Hermann Staudinger and mainly discussed for rubber gel particles. The recent developments indicate that the majority of the currently investigated microgel systems are synthesised and operating in aqueous phase.

The major purpose of this special issue is to give an overview over recent advances made in the fields of synthesis, characterisation and application of aqueous nano- and microgels. This special issue will give examples of chemical design of microgel particles from molecular building blocks, their modification and functionalization and finally application in different systems as catalyst supports, delivery vehicles, adhesives, flocculants, sequesterants and sensors.

Prof. Dr. Andrij Pich
Guest Editor