Preparation of Swellable Hydrogel‐Containing Colloidosomes from Aqueous Two‐Phase Pickering Emulsion Droplets

Abstract The fabrication of stable colloidosomes derived from water‐in‐water Pickering‐like emulsions are described that were produced by addition of fluorescent amine‐modified polystyrene latex beads to an aqueous two‐phase system consisting of dextran‐enriched droplets dispersed in a PEG‐enriched continuous phase. Addition of polyacrylic acid followed by carbodiimide‐induced crosslinking with dextran produces hydrogelled droplets capable of reversible swelling and selective molecular uptake and exclusion. Colloidosomes produced specifically in all‐water systems could offer new opportunities in microencapsulation and the bottom‐up construction of synthetic protocells.