pH sensitive water-in-water emulsions based on the pullulan and poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) aqueous two-phase system

Abstract

Aqueous-two phase systems (ATPS) and water-in-water (w/w) emulsions are a major topic in chemistry and biology, mainly due to their biocompatibility and various applications. In here, the ATPS formed from poly(N,N-dimethylacrylamide) (PDMA) with three different molar masses (24k – 10⁶ g mol⁻¹) and commercial pullulan is investigated. Additionally, the ATPS with ultra-high molecular weight PDMA was transformed into a w/w emulsion using a pH-responsive block copolymer as stabiliser. The w/w emulsion could be destabilised or stabilised, depending on the current pH. The novel pH sensitive w/w emulsion will open up new pathways for example for the encapsulation of biomolecules.