A Study on the Behavior of Smart Starch-co-poly(N‑isopropylacrylamide) Hybrid Microgels for Encapsulation of Methylene Blue

Hybrid microgels made from starch nanoparticles (SNPs) and poly­(N-isopropylacrylamide) p­(NIPAM) were used as promising hosts for the methylene blue (MB) dye. In this paper, these thermoresponsive microgels were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential measurements (ZP), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and evaluated as carriers for skin-targeted drug delivery. The hybrid microgel-MB systems in PBS solution were also studied by UV–vis spectroscopy and DLS, revealing discernible differences in spectral intensity and absorption shifts compared to microgels devoid of MB. This underscores the successful integration of methylene blue within the SNPs-co-p­(NIPAM) microgels, signifying their potential as efficacious drug delivery vehicles.