A Cyclodextrin Microgel for Controlled Release Driven by Inclusion Effects

Summary: A novel intelligent delivery system based on the environmental dependence of the inclusion effect of β ‐cyclodextrin ( β ‐CD) with guest molecules, using a β ‐CD polymer (CDP) microgel as carrier, is proposed. Compared with smart hydrogels, which are driven by the phase‐volume transition, controlled release from the CDP microgel is driven by “host‐guest” inclusion effects. With the pH‐dependent inclusion complexation of methyl orange (MO) with β ‐CD as a model system, the behavior of the controlled release of a CDP microgel was tested by changing the pH, showing that the mechanism is reasonable. Schematic illustration of the pH‐dependent inclusion complexation of MO with β ‐CD in the CDP microgel. magnified image Schematic illustration of the pH‐dependent inclusion complexation of MO with β ‐CD in the CDP microgel.