journal article·2026-02

Architected Redox‐Active Colloids for Tunable Charge Transport in Aqueous Systems

Sinae Lee, Jeongwon Kim, Eunsung Kim, Sanghyuk Park, Won‐Jang Cho, Gi‐Ra Yi, Hee Jung Park, Dong Ha Kim, Hyerim Hwang

Small· Volume 22· Issue 11
Publisher page

Abstract

ABSTRACT Colloids, a foundational class of soft matter, are increasingly explored as programmable frameworks for electrochemical function. Traditionally regarded as passive carriers, colloids can be architected to form internal pathways for ion and electron transport. Their dispersibility, processability, and compatibility with aqueous media make them promising candidates for safe and sustainable redox systems, yet aqueous electrolytes remain limited by narrow potential windows, poor stability of redox sites, and sluggish charge transport. Architected redox‐active colloids (RACs) composed of polystyrene (PS) spheres embedded with ethyl viologen (EV) address these limitations. Fabricated through a swelling‐mediated loading process, RACs allow independent control of particle size, redox‐site density, and internal EV organization. This design enables direct control over redox capacity and reversibility, surpassing what is accessible in dissolved redox molecules or simple colloidal dispersions. Colloids with densely organized and spatially continuous EV domains exhibit enhanced charge transport and stability, demonstrating that internal architecture, rather than total redox content alone, governs electrochemical performance. These findings establish RACs as a robust and flow‐compatible platform for aqueous electrochemical systems and provide a generalizable strategy for designing soft colloidal materials with integrated charge transport functionality.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Conducting polymers and applications · Advanced battery technologies research · Electrochemical Analysis and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Chemistry and Nanoscience Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Institute For Multiscale Matter and Systems Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Daejeon Republic of Korea

Department of Chemical Engineering Pohang University of Science and Technology Pohang Republic of Korea

Metropolitan Seoul Center Korea Basic Science Institute Seoul Republic of Korea

College of Medicine Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Gradutate Program in Innovative Biomaterials Convergence Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Basic Sciences Research Institute (Priority Research Institute) Ewha Womans University Seoul Republic of Korea

Funding

Korea Basic Science Institute · National Research Foundation of Korea

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