Nanomechanics and Nanorheology of Microgels at Interfaces

The review addresses nanomechanics and nanorheology of stimuli responsive microgels adsorbed at an interface. In order to measure the mechanical properties on a local scale, an atomic force microscope is used. The tip presents an indenter with a radius of curvature of a few 10 s of nm. Static indentation experiments and dynamic studies with an excited cantilever are presented. The effect of several internal and external parameters on the mechanical properties is reviewed. The focus is on the correlation between the swelling abilities of the gels and their mechanical properties. Several results are surprising and show that the relationship is not as simple as one might expect.