Bicontinuous soft solids with a gradient in channel size designed for energy storage applications

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the creation of bicontinuous soft solids with a gradient in channel size, tailored for energy storage, by controlling particle concentration during fabrication, enabling optimized energy materials.

Contribution

It introduces a method to produce bijels with a gradient in channel size using a two-stage loading process and confocal microscopy analysis.

Findings

Achieved a channel size gradient of up to 2.8%/mm in bijels.

Demonstrated potential for energy applications with tailored ionic transport and interfacial area.

Provided quantitative measurement techniques for gradient control in soft materials.

Abstract

We present examples of bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels ("bijels") with a designed gradient in the channel size along the sample. These samples are created by quenching binary fluids which have a gradient in particle concentration along the sample, since the channel size is determined by the local particle concentration. A gradient in local particle concentration is achieved using a two-stage loading process, with different particle volume fractions in each stage. Confocal microscopy and image analysis were used to quantitatively measure the channel size of the bijels. Bijels with a gradient in channel size of up to 2.8%/mm have been created. Such tailored soft materials could act as templates for energy materials optimised for both high ionic transport rates (high power) and high interfacial area (high energy density), potentially making them useful in novel energy applications.