ИСТИНА

Microgels are an interesting class of nanomaterials with high potential for future applications. They can be produced with different architectures and different functionalities. The direct realspace visualization of these properties in situ can be achieved by fluorescence microscopy, which due to the small sizes of typical microgels in the sub-micrometer range, in many cases, requires superresolution, i.e. resolution beyond the diffraction-limit of optical light. With this approach we managed to visualize different compartments of core-shell microgels, so far using fluorescence labels covalently attached to the compartment or functionality of interest. For the investigation of charged microgels, non-covalent labeling strategies by electrostatic interaction with oppositely charged fluorophores are a promising alternative. This way, the selective labeling of charged regions allows for an elucidation of the distribution of such regions. Also the uptake and trigger-induced release of charged molecular and macromolecular species can be followed by highly sensitive fluorescence microscopy. This talk will focus on the elucidation of architecture and functionality, in particular, of charged microgels and report on salt-induced release of charged macromolecular species out of microgels by means of modern fluorescence microscopy techniques and give a perspective on future developments in this field.