Thermoresponsive supracolloidal organic/inorganic materials

Thermothickening materials that harden when warmed, for example by the body, have application in therapeutics, tissue engineering and emerging fields such as soft robotics. We have recently demonstrated that clay/branched copolymer surfactants (BCSs) complexes undergo thermothickening while preventing clay gelation, this responsive behaviour allows finecontrol of the clay/polymer gelation. Clays can act as carriers for active ingredients or site for cell adhesion, if not blocked by the BCS. The objectives of this work are to probe how BCS/clay interacts tor form gels and its possible impact on bioapplicability of the clay nanoparticles. This data will be coupled to existing rheology data to inform rational design of high-performance thermothickening clay/polymer composites.