Investigations in Fundamental and Applied Polymer Mechanochemistry

Abstract

The field of polymer mechanochemistry has experienced rapid growth over the past decade, propelled largely by the development of force‐activated functional groups (mechanophores) and polymer structure‐reactivity principles for mechanochemical transduction. In addition to fundamental guidelines for converting mechanical input into chemical output, there has also been increasing focus toward the application of polymer mechanochemistry for specific functions, materials, and devices. These endeavors are made possible by multidisciplinary approaches involving designer polymer synthesis, computational modeling and design, and different fields of engineering. Described herein are contributions from our group on the development of flex activated mechanophores for small molecule release and star polymer mechanochemistry, as well as collaborative efforts toward mechanochemically triggered depolymerizations and 3D printed mechanochromic materials.

An algorithm to locate optimal bond breaking points on a potential energy surface for applications in mechanochemistry and catalysis

“…Mechanochemistry is an emergent research field that focuses on the promotion of chemical reactions by means of mechanical forces. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Several experimental methods allow us to apply mechanical forces to molecules. On the one hand, it is now well-established that ball milling and grinding techniques can be used not only for crushing solids but also for the initiation of chemical reactions.…”

Transient mechanochromism in epoxy vitrimer composites containing aromatic disulfide crosslinks

“…Here we report how 4-AFD (Scheme 1), a dynamic hardener which is useful for the creation of dynamic epoxy networks or vitrimers, can endow an additional mechanochromic functionality to the resins and composites made thereof. The field of polymer mechanochemistry has grown very rapidly over the last decade, 8,9 in part due to its importance in monitoring material failure. 10 Thus, the possibility of having a dynamic hardener which on top of giving vitrimer behavior also gives mechanochromic properties, could offer significant advantages in the composite field.…”

Effect of vortex‐induced physical stress on fluorescent properties of dye‐containing poly(ethylene glycol)‐block‐poly(lactic acid) micelles

“…Mechanical stresses ubiquitously occur on objects in motion. Along these lines, synthetic nanomaterials with stimuli-responsive properties to such mechanical stresses have attracted a great interest [1][2][3][4][5][6] for the potential utilities in broad areas as mechano-responsive chromic/luminescent materials, [2][3][4][5] self-healing and self-immolative materials, 4,7 drug delivery nanocarriers, 6,[8][9][10] proteinreleasing nanocontainers for bioreactors, 11 and nanoprobes for biomechanical research. [12][13][14] In the development of mechanical stress-responsive nanomaterials, it is important to establish understanding of the properties of nanomaterials upon exposure to mechanical stresses.…”