Stress Transfer Within Microphase‐Separated Structures: A Post‐Synthetic Strategy to Impart Mechanoresponsiveness to Block Copolymer Materials
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mechanoresponsive polymers, which exhibit changes in properties such as color in response to mechanical stimuli, have attracted increasing attention for smart materials. Among various design strategies, mechanophore-incorporated systems are widely used approaches that enable precise molecular-level design and control; however, this approach often suffers from complicated synthesis and limited applicability to existing materials such as block copolymers, which have found widespread industrial use as high-performance materials. Here, we present a post-synthetic strategy enabled by exploiting microphase-separated structures to impart mechanochromism to existing polymer systems while retaining the advantages of mechanophore-based approaches. By exploiting the microphase-separated structure of styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) block copolymers, blending with polystyrene bearing a tetraarylsuccinonitrile (TASN) mechanophore enables domain-selective localization of the mechanophore within the rigid domains without chemical modification of the host polymer. The resulting materials exhibit fluorescence upon tensile deformation originating from force-induced TASN cleavage, demonstrating mechanoactivation even under minimal deformation of the hard domains. The mechanoresponse is governed by the molecular weight and content of the mechanophore-containing polystyrene. Importantly, bulk mechanical properties are preserved and can even be enhanced. This strategy establishes a scalable platform for integrating mechanochemical functionality into existing polymer systems.
Source: Advanced Materials
DOI: 10.1002/adma.74610
Institution: Institute of Science Tokyo
Language: English
Subfield: Polymers and Plastics
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $6,070
OpenAlex ID: W7203619304