{
  "abstract": "Synthesizing ultrasmall thermoresponsive nanoparticles within poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) hydrogels without the use of strong ligands remains challenging, as intrinsically weak interfacial interactions and structural heterogeneity in conventional networks often lead to poor size control and aggregation. Here, we report a programmable PNIPA-based hydrogel constructed from star-shaped polymers via living radical polymerization, in which a homogeneous network containing locally reinforced crosslinking domains enables ligand-free in situ formation of ultrasmall metal nanoparticles. The uniform network provides a spatially consistent reaction environment, allowing synchronized and controllable particle growth across length scales. Nanoparticle size is governed by network architecture rather than by synthetic conditions, and the resulting hydrogel composites exhibit exceptional stability under thermal cycling and harsh chemical environments, despite relying solely on amide functionalities. Stabilization does not arise from rigid immobilization or strong ligand coordination along the polymer chains; instead, it emerges from the collective engagement of multiple spatially distributed, amide-enriched crosslinking domains. These reinforced domains generate a cooperative multiple-anchoring effect, creating a soft yet adaptive chelation-like confinement. This work establishes a versatile platform for strong-ligand-free yet robust and controllable nanoparticle synthesis, extendable to colloidal dispersions, diverse polymer matrices, and various metal nanoparticles.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 12,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Yian Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Junjia Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kazutaka Akiyoshi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Guohao Gao"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yinglu Liu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kai Kawabata"
    },
    {
      "name": "Taiki Hoshino"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tsukasa Torimoto"
    },
    {
      "name": "Hirokatsu Miyata"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yusuke Yamauchi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Makoto Ogawa"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yukikazu Takeoka",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1406-0704"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rfba8vfyrjp2.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15001720/v2",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "0rfba8vfyrjp2",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15001720/v2",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221013823",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-08",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rfba8vfyrjp2.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:22Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15001720",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15001720/v3"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "openalex:1313|Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Programmable Uniform Gel Networks Amplify Weak Interactions via Multiple Anchoring for In Situ Growth of Gold Nanoparticles",
  "title_text": "Programmable Uniform Gel Networks Amplify Weak Interactions via Multiple Anchoring for In Situ Growth of Gold Nanoparticles",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-04T00:20:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/0rfba8vfyrjp2",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}