ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an overview of a series of studies that have investigated the response of giant micellar systems to external stimuli. It reviews giant micellar systems that respond to changes in temperature. The chapter discusses the design of giant micellar systems that incorporate redox-active groups or light-sensitive groups that respond to changes in redox-potential and illumination, respectively, and cause large changes in solution properties. It describes pH-sensitive systems, including giant micellar systems that undergo pH-triggered transformations to form networks suitable for use as scaffolds, for example, for growth of bone. The first types of stimuli-responsive giant micellar systems that are those systems that exhibit substantial responses to changes in temperature. Many past studies have reported on the existence of temperature-dependent properties in giant micellar systems, the majority reporting a substantial decrease in the viscosity of solutions containing giant micelles with increasing temperature.
