Pollen, the male microgametophyte of seed plants, is commonly used as a food and health supplement. Here, a facile method to transform sunflower pollen into pH‐responsive microgels with tailored properties is presented. The structure and morphology of the pollen microgel are characterized by scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy, and dynamic image particle analysis based on potassium hydroxide treatment with various incubation time and concentration. These pollen microgels exhibit significant volume change under different pH conditions and Ca⁺/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid treatment. The results describe the fundamental properties of pollen microgels and pave the way for its future applications, such as “smart” drug carriers.

中文翻译：

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花粉微凝胶的化学和物理变化对溶胀/去溶胀行为的影响。

花粉是种子植物的雄性小配子体，通常用作食品和保健品。在这里，提出了一种将向日葵花粉转化为具有定制特性的 pH 响应微凝胶的简便方法。花粉微凝胶的结构和形态通过扫描电子显微镜、共聚焦激光扫描显微镜和基于不同孵育时间和浓度的氢氧化钾处理的动态图像颗粒分析来表征。这些花粉微凝胶在不同的 pH 条件和 Ca ⁺ /乙二胺四乙酸处理下表现出显着的体积变化。结果描述了花粉微凝胶的基本特性，并为其未来的应用铺平了道路，例如“智能”药物载体。