The interaction of charged surfactants with oppositely charged polyelectrolyte networks has been investigated. The effective absorption of the surfactant ions by charged gel is observed. The surfactantnetwork complex formation results in gel collapse. The influence of charge density and mobility, ionic strength, and network topology on complex formation has been studied. It has been shown that the surfactant ions in charged gel form micelle-like aggregates. Due to this fact the surfactant-network complexes are effective absorbers for hydrophobic organic substances.

A microfluidic strategy for the encapsulation and stimulus-responsive release of molecules with distinct polarities from the interior of microgels is reported. The approach relies on (i) the generation of a primary O/W emulsion by the ultrasonication method, (ii) MF emulsification of the primary emulsion, and (iii) photopolymerization of the monomer present in the aqueous phase of the droplets, thereby transforming them into microgels. Non-polar molecules are dissolved in oil droplets embedded in the microgels. Polar molecules are physically associated with the hydrogel network. Upon heating, the microgels contract and release polar and non-polar cargo molecules. The approach paves the way for stimuli-responsive vehicles for multiple drug delivery.

Smart thermoresponsive gels and cryogels with incorporated emulsions have been synthesized and studied. The gels were obtained by three-dimensional copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide or N,N'-bis(acryloyl)cystamine in the presence of dispersion of tetradecane stabilized with sodium dodecylsulfate. Polymerization was performed at room temperature and below the water crystallization temperature. Both composite gels and cryogels were capable of heat-induced collapse. The extent of the collapse of the composite gel prepared at room temperature was much smaller and without squeezing of the lipophilic phase out of the shrunk composite gel. In contrast, shrinking of the composite cryogel was accompanied by release of tetradecane emulsion.

We synthesised P4VP bromides with octyl and dodecyl pendant groups; the bromide anions in these polymer salts were further substituted with dodecylsulfate or bis(2‐ethylhexylsuccinate) anions. Direct SFM visualisation of the original P4VP chains, of the macromolecular salts and of their complexes, showed that the attachment of the pendant groups and especially the complexation with the surfactants promotes stretching of the macromolecules while adsorbing on mica substrate. On the other hand, viscosimetry showed that in solution (chloroform) the comb‐like chains and their complexes with dodecylsulfate had more compact conformations than those of the original P4VP. The scaling exponents describing the correlation between the contour length and the end‐to‐end distance of the adsorbed macromolecules were found to be ca. 3/4, which is indicative of 2D self‐avoiding walk statistics.magnified image