Search Results

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Item
    Anti-Stokes Stress Sensing: Mechanochemical Activation of Triplet-Triplet Annihilation Photon Upconversion
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2019) Yildiz, Deniz; Baumann, Christoph; Mikosch, Annabel; Kuehne, Alexander J.C.; Herrmann, Andreas; Göstl, Robert
    The development of methods to detect damage in macromolecular materials is of paramount importance to understand their mechanical failure and the structure–property relationships of polymers. Mechanofluorophores are useful and sensitive molecular motifs for this purpose. However, to date, tailoring of their optical properties remains challenging and correlating emission intensity to force induced material damage and the respective events on the molecular level is complicated by intrinsic limitations of fluorescence and its detection techniques. Now, this is tackled by developing the first stress-sensing motif that relies on photon upconversion. By combining the Diels–Alder adduct of a π-extended anthracene with the porphyrin-based triplet sensitizer PtOEP in polymers, triplet–triplet annihilation photon upconversion of green to blue light is mechanochemically activated in solution as well as in the solid state. © 2019 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
  • Item
    Multicolor Mechanofluorophores for the Quantitative Detection of Covalent Bond Scission in Polymers
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2021) Baumann, Christoph; Stratigaki, Maria; Centeno, Silvia P.; Göstl, Robert
    The fracture of polymer materials is a multiscale process starting with the scission of a single molecular bond advancing to a site of failure within the bulk. Quantifying the bonds broken during this process remains a big challenge yet would help to understand the distribution and dissipation of macroscopic mechanical energy. We here show the design and synthesis of fluorogenic molecular optical force probes (mechanofluorophores) covering the entire visible spectrum in both absorption and emission. Their dual fluorescent character allows to track non-broken and broken bonds in dissolved and bulk polymers by fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy. Importantly, we develop an approach to determine the absolute number and relative fraction of intact and cleaved bonds with high local resolution. We anticipate that our mechanofluorophores in combination with our quantification methodology will allow to quantitatively describe fracture processes in materials ranging from soft hydrogels to high-performance polymers. © 2021 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH
  • Item
    Going with the Flow : Tunable Flow-Induced Polymer Mechanochemistry
    (Weinheim : Wiley-VCH, 2020) Willis-Fox, Niamh; Rognin, Etienne; Baumann, Christoph; Aljohani, Talal A.; Göstl, Robert; Daly, Ronan
    Mechanical forces can drive chemical transformations in polymers, directing reactions along otherwise inaccessible pathways, providing exciting possibilities for developing smart, responsive materials. The state-of-the-art test for solution-based polymer mechanochemistry development is ultrasonication. However, this does not accurately model the forces that will be applied during device fabrication using processes such as 3D printing or spray coating. Here, a step is taken toward predictably translating mechanochemistry from molecular design to manufacturing by demonstrating a highly controlled nozzle flow setup in which the shear forces being delivered are precisely tuned. The results show that solvent viscosity, fluid strain rate, and the nature of the breaking bond can be individually studied. Importantly, it is shown that the influence of each is different to that suggested by ultrasonication (altered quantity of chain breakage and critical polymer chain length). Significant development is presented in the understanding of polymer bond breakage during manufacturing flows to help guide design of active components that trigger on demand. Using an anthracene-based mechanophore, the triggering of a fluorescence turn-on is demonstrated through careful selection of the flow parameters. This work opens the avenue for programmed chemical transformations during inline manufacturing processes leading to tunable, heterogeneous final products from a single source material. © 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim