Triarylmethane Mechanophores Enable Full-Visible Spectrum Mechanochromism

Covalent mechanophores are molecular motifs that contain weak bonds, which are preferentially cleaved in response to the application of a mechanical force. Specially designed motifs can signal such bond scission events by changing their optical absorption or emission characteristics and thus exhibit...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Hemmer, James R., Bauernfeind, Viola, Rader, Chris, Petroselli, Manuel, Weder, Christoph, Berrocal, José Augusto
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Recursos:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:2072/537070
Acesso em linha:http://hdl.handle.net/2072/537070
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.macromol.3c01521
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Química
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Descrição
Resumo:Covalent mechanophores are molecular motifs that contain weak bonds, which are preferentially cleaved in response to the application of a mechanical force. Specially designed motifs can signal such bond scission events by changing their optical absorption or emission characteristics and thus exhibit mechanochromism. Here, we report the synthesis of three triarylmethane benzyl ether derivatives and their use as mechanochromic cross-linkers in elastomeric networks. Mechanical stimulation of these polymers triggers the heterolytic cleavage of the C–O ether bond of the triarylmethanes, which leads to the formation of resonance-stabilized carbocations that absorb light in the visible range. The materials adopt blue, yellow, or red coloration depending on the chemical design of the triarylmethane mechanophore. The color palette can be further expanded by simple combinations of these three colors. Thus, our work demonstrates the versatility of the triarylmethane platform in polymer mechanochemistry.