Microgels as Energy Carriers

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This proposal deals with the question, whether single microgels can be suitable carriers for energy in terms of nonequilibrium structures. For this purpose, electroactive, compartmentalized microgels are investigated that are based on core-shell architectures. Different electroactive groups will be embedded in different domains of the microgel. By a specialized sample preparation involving temperature adjustment and chemical and/or electrochemical oxidation/reduction sequences, the domains of a single microgel are present in incompatible redox states, i.e. the electron transport from one domain to the other domain is thermodynamically preferred. However, the restricted network dynamics (modulated by the thermoresponsive network) and the spatial separation within the colloid hampers the self-exchange leading to an electrochemical potential gradient throughout the network. Hence, temperature changes can be utilized as trigger to release the stored energy at will. This happens first in form of heat, but strategies for harvesting energy in other forms than heat are also discussed.