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This review describes the most recent progress in the use of polymer multiresponsive microgels as central components of advanced, functional colloidal materials. Significant areas of development include the use of microgels as microreactors for templated synthesis of inorganic nanoparticles with predetermined properties, as optically active materials including lenses and photonic crystals, and as primary units in site-specific and controlled drug delivery systems. In the last category, both synthetic and biopolymeric microgels are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterocoagulation of large and small oppositely charged colloid particles, accompanied by spreading of small beads over the surface of large spheres, offers a promising alternative to synthesis of core–shell particles via interfacial polymerization. In this paper, conditions required for complete spreading of the shell-forming polymer over the surface of the core-forming material (CFM) are predicted in terms of a critical distance, xcr, between the small particles on the surface of the CFM. The theoretical value of xcr is tested in experiments conducted for polypyrrole/polyacrylic and silica-titanyl sulfate/polyacrylic heterocoagulate units. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]