Fig. 2: Compartmentalization of the PNIPAM/DEX system at different temperatures.

Phase-separated PNIPAM droplets in PNIPAM (5 wt%)/DEX (5 wt%) solution under (a) FITC channel, (b) rhodamine channel, and (c) merged channel at 25 °C. Confocal images of PNIPAM droplets in PNIPAM (5 wt%)/DEX (5 wt%) solution under (d) FITC channel, (e) rhodamine channel, and (f) merged channel at 25 °C. g Histogram illustrating the size distribution of primary compartments at 25 °C. Results are collected from more than n  >  20 different primary compartments. h The fluorescence intensity profile shows the distribution of PNIPAM and DEX along the white dash line in (f). Phase-separated PNIPAM droplets in PNIPAM (5 wt%)/DEX (5 wt%) solution under (i) FITC channel, (j) rhodamine channel, and (k) merged channel at 35 °C. Confocal images of PNIPAM droplets in PNIPAM (5 wt%)/DEX (5 wt%) solution under (l) FITC channel, (m) rhodamine channel, and (n) merged channel at 35 °C. o Histogram illustrating the size distribution of primary compartments at 35 °C. Results are collected from more than n  >  20 different primary compartments. p The fluorescence intensity profile shows the distribution of PNIPAM and DEX along the white dash line in (n). Confocal images show the colloidosome-like surface structure under (q) FITC channel, (r) rhodamine channel, and (s) merged channel. The cross-section of the hierarchical multi-compartment under (t) FITC channel, (u) rhodamine channel, and (v) merged channel. Z-stack confocal images of colloidosome-like compartments formed in the PNIPAM (5 wt%)/DEX (5 wt%) system under (w) merged channel.