| Proteins and biomolecules were conjugated to thermoresponsive hydrogel nanoparticles in order to determine the fundamental interactions capable of modifying the physical characteristics of hydrogel nanoparticles. Experiments revealed that simple conjugation of biomolecules to the microgels does not result in modified phase transition temperatures. Incorporation of anionic groups into the microgel, though, did allow for microgels that responded to proteins in solution. The interaction, though, is non-specific in nature. Subsequent microgels conjugated with ligands showed increased biospecificity. Additionally, microgels were synthesized with hydrophobic monomers and PEG chains in order to mediate the interactions of proteins with the microgels. Microgel crosslinking was diminished, but additional experimentation is necessary to reduce non-specific interactions. Separately, it is shown that microgels can be crystallized into colloidal arrays via centrifugation. These materials display a Bragg diffraction peak that is tunable via changes in temperature. |
