Preparation of ruthenium-functionalized microgels through the intermolecular crosslinking of two functionalized polymers within droplets and study of their chemical/ photo-active behaviors

Abstract Ruthenium-functionalized microgels were prepared with the combination of microfluidics-based droplet template approach and the direct crosslinking of two types of functionalized polymers within the droplet “microreactor”. The microgels displayed a variety of properties, including the catalytic capability for Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, white light induced structural memory behavior and monochromatic lights triggered photolysis and structural degradation behaviors. The photo degradation mechanism is also proposed and further verified by multiple characterization methods.