Photoresponsive Inverse Micelles

Light has been always used by nature as a regulatory stimulus. For example, the trees change their respiration based on the day-night cycle and sunflowers change their direction following the sun. Inspired by nature, technological applications frequently use light to tune the properties of materials. Following this idea, this project aims to study innovative liquids that can change their electrical properties with light. In particular, I am interested in mixtures of solvents and surfactants that can create inverse micelles when subjected to UV irradiation. These mixtures are expected to change their electrical conductivity when illuminated, allowing, for example, to tune the current flowing in a circuit using light. The simple properties of these liquids make them perfect to control with light many physics phenomena at very different scales: from inducing the charging of nanoparticles, to promoting the movement of microspheres to steering the motion of millimetric drops. Another interesting path to explore with these liquids is their application in technology. Similar materials are used in the market of electronic-ink displays that are nowadays ubiquitous (e-readers, smart watches, paper tablets, and switchable billboards). I expect that the mixtures developed in this project will allow to find new functionalities for the electronic-ink displays. The project, from the synthesis of the materials to the study of the physical phenomena triggered in it by light illumination and to the exploration of the potential technological application, will be carried out at the Institute of Science and Technology of Austria (ISTA).