Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Optical mechanophores offer a powerful platform for the real‐time, nondestructive detection of mechanically induced damage in polymers. However, the exploitation of mechanophores for fundamental investigations of deformation processes and the prediction of failure in technologically critical applications has been constrained by their responsivity to other stimuli, laborious synthesis, and limited control of their photophysical and mechanical properties. Here, we report a cyclobutane‐based mechanophore that activates a fluorescent coumarin dye through the application of mechanical stress in solution and in the solid state. We demonstrate the preparation of the mechanophore in two synthetic steps, its incorporation into linear and crosslinked polymers, and its thermal and photochemical stability, establishing the basis for a new class of mechanophores with tunable spectral and mechanical characteristics.
Source: Angewandte Chemie
Authors: Yang Li, Jess M. Clough
Institutions: University of Fribourg, Adolphe Merkle Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $5,790
OpenAlex ID: W4413497673