About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
MS&T26: Materials Science & Technology
|
| Symposium
|
Energy Materials for Sustainable Development
|
| Presentation Title |
Probing the Dynamics of Gold Nanorods in Polymer Hydrogels via Depolarized Dynamic Light Scattering (DDLS) |
| Author(s) |
Sijia Cheng, Nehal Nupnar, Micheal J.A. Hore, Robert J. Hickey, Mykyata Dementyev, Kyoungweon Park, Richard Vaia |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Sijia Cheng |
| Abstract Scope |
Polymer hydrogels are promising electrolyte materials for flexible energy storage devices, including supercapacitors and batteries, where ionic conductivity is governed by the network mesh size and local stiffness. Design of these systems requires a quantitative understanding of how hydrogel architecture regulates species transport. In this study, we use depolarized dynamic light scattering (DDLS) to simultaneously measure the translational and rotational diffusion of gold nano rods (AuNRs) embedded in polymer hydrogel architectures. By analyzing light scattered in different polarization states, we isolate the effects of hydrogel mesh size and local stiffness on the nanorods' ability to both move forward and rotate. Our results demonstrate significant decoupling between rotational and translational motion as the nanorod length approaches the gel’s characteristic mesh size. This study provides a predictive framework for designing hydrogel electrolytes with tailored ion-transport properties for energy-storage applications. |