Mechanical properties of individual microgel particles through the deswelling transition

Microgels are important materials for both basic science and engineering and have wide applications from the study of phase transitions to the delivery of drugs. These micron and sub-micron particles, made of hydrogel materials, respond to solvent conditions. The most common microgels are environmentally sensitive, responding to temperature and pH. Our material of interest, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) or NIPAM, undergoes a deswelling transition above a critical temperature. The deswelling behavior of this polymeric material has been thoroughly studied in ensemble microgel systems as well as in bulk hydrogel samples. We present measurements of the elastic properties of single microgel particles through the deswelling transition using atomic force microscopy. While the fully collapsed particle (E = 123 kPa) is ten times stiffer than a fully swollen one (E = 13 kPa), we observe a dramatic softening of the particle near the transition (E = 3 kPa).