Release of model compounds from "plum-pudding"-type gels composed of microgel particles randomly dispersed in a gel matrix
A novel gel structure called the "plum-pudding" gel was described by us previously. I The gel was composed of randomly dispersed microgel particles ("plums") in a conventional hydrogel network. Depending on the preparation conditions, the microgels can be incorporated into the gel as expanded networks or dense collapsed globules. Where the microgel particles exist as collapsed globules, they have