Thermoswitchable Electronic Properties of a Gold Nanoparticle/Hydrogel Composite

Summary: A well‐dispersed gold nanoparticle/poly(N‐isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAm) hydrogel nanocomposite with thermoswitchable electrical properties is prepared by the copolymerization of functional Au nanoparticles with N‐isopropylacrylamide. It is found that the electrical conductivity of the nanocomposite changes by two orders of magnitude at moderate temperature (Ttran) upon temperature stimuli. The change of electrical properties is reversible during a heating and cooling cycle. Schematic illustration of the mechanism of the thermo‐switchable electronic properties of the Au nanoparticle/PNIPAm composite. magnified image Schematic illustration of the mechanism of the thermo‐switchable electronic properties of the Au nanoparticle/PNIPAm composite.