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Updated: May 9, 2026

Thermal Scanning Conductometry (TSC) as a General Method for Studying and Controlling the Phase Behavior of Conductive Physical Gels
Published on: January 23, 2018
Enhanced tunneling conductivity induced by gelation of attractive colloids
Biagio Nigro1, Claudio Grimaldi, Peter Ryser
1LPM, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
We show that the formation of a gel by conducting colloidal particles leads to a dramatic enhancement in bulk conductivity, due to interparticle electron tunneling, combining predictions from molecular-dynamics simulations with structural measurements in an experimental colloid system. Our results show how colloidal gelation can be used as a general route to huge enhancements of conductivity, and suggest a feasible way for developing cheap materials with novel properties and low metal content.
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