title: Proton-coupled mechanochemical transduction: a mechanogenerated acid.
abstract: A novel mechanophore with acid-releasing capability is designed to produce a simple catalyst for chemical change in materials under mechanical stress. The mechanophore, based on a gem-dichlorocyclopropanated indene, is synthesized and used as a cross-linker in poly(methyl acrylate). Force-dependent rearrangement is demonstrated for cross-linked mechanophore samples loaded in compression, while the control shows no significant response. The availability of the released acid is confirmed by exposing a piece of insoluble compressed polymer to a pH indicator solution. The development of this new mechanophore is the first step toward force-induced remodeling of stressed polymeric materials utilizing acid-catalyzed cross-linking reactions.
authors: Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States.
authors: Charles E
authors: CE
authors: Diesendruck
authors: Brian D
authors: BD
authors: Steinberg
authors: Naoto
authors: N
authors: Sugai
authors: Meredith N
authors: MN
authors: Silberstein
authors: Nancy R
authors: NR
authors: Sottos
authors: Scott R
authors: SR
authors: White
authors: Paul V
authors: PV
authors: Braun
authors: Jeffrey S
authors: JS
authors: Moore