Enhanced electrogenerated chemiluminescence in thermoresponsive microgels

The electrochemistry, photoluminescence and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of thermoresponsive redox microgels were investigated. For the first time, reversible ECL enhancement is demonstrated in stimuli-responsive 100-nm microgel particles. Such an unexpected amplification reached 2 orders of magnitude, and it is intrinsically correlated with the collapse of the microgel particles. The swell-collapse transition decreases the average distance between adjacent redox sites and favors the electron-transfer processes in the microgels resulting in the enhanced ECL emission.