Gold Nanoparticles and Polymer Microgels: Last Five Years of their Happy and Successful Marriage

Abstract A unique combination of gold (Au) nanoparticles and smart polymer microgels is of great interest and has gained a lot of consideration during past decade. The plasmonic property of gold nanoparticles and responsive behavior of microgels in their hybrids make them a potential candidate for a variety of biomedical, environmental and catalytic applications. Various morphologies and architectures of Au nanoparticles based hybrid microgels are available in literature. The architecture of the hybrid microgels plays a vital role in their application. That is why, a particular assembly of Au nanoparticles based hybrid microgels is designed for a particular application. A recent progress in classification, synthesis, properties, characterization and uses of gold (Au) nanostructures loaded into microgels have been reviewed in this report. Biomedical, catalytic, environmental and sensing applications of Au based hybrid microgels reported in last five years have been discussed in a tutorial way.