CRC 1459 - B07: Self-regulating soft materials: Feedback mechanisms for coupling photochemical reactivity and thermoresponsive properties

Basic data for this project

Description

This project is inspired by homeostasis of living systems. We aim to establish a tunable soft matter system that self-regulates its properties such that it becomes resistant to perturbations. To reach this goal, we propose to couple photochemical and thermoresponsive soft matter systems, where exothermic, light triggered reactions in micelles or polymer colloids generate heat that increases the systems temperature above the lower critical solution temperature of a thermoresponsive polymer. We aim to establish a negative feedback mechanism between thermoresponsive and photochemical systems which can self-regulate their temperature.