Project description
Microgel particles triggered by light
Microgels are soft colloidal particles formed from a network of polymer chains. They are termed 'smart materials' since the size and softness of microgels, and the interaction forces between them, are tuneable by external stimuli such as temperature, pH or magnetic and electric fields. The EU-funded PhotoSoftMat project plans to use light to control microgel properties at liquid interfaces in an unprecedented way. The proposed system will use an optical trigger to control the interactions between microgel particles as well as their size and compressibility with exceptional spatial and temporal resolution. The final goal is to synthesise reconfigurable colloidal structures endowed with multiple properties that can be rapidly and locally switched by external stimuli for applications in materials science and chemistry.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EFCoordinator
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
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