One‐Pot Synthesis of pH‐Responsive PEGylated Nanogels Containing Gold Nanoparticles by Autoreduction of Chloroaurate Ions within Nanoreactors

One‐pot synthesis of pH‐responsive PEGylated nanogels (diameter <100 nm) containing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was successfully carried out through the autoreduction of HAuCl 4 with PEGylated nanogels constructed from cross‐linked poly[2‐( N , N ‐diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDEAMA) core and tethered PEG chains. Transmission electron microscopy image of the nanogel containing AuNPs prepared at N/Au ratio = 8 revealed that the average number of AuNPs in a single nanogel and average diameter of the AuNPs were about 10 particles/nanogel and 6 nm, respectively. The surface plasmon band of the PEGylated nanogel containing AuNPs was shifted in response to pH, indicating that the cross‐linked PDEAMA core of the nanogels acts as not only nanoreactor but also pH‐sensitive matrix. magnified image