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Ofodum NM, Qi Q, Chandradat R, Warfle T, Lu X. Advancing Dynamic Polymer Mechanochemistry through Synergetic Conformational Gearing. J Am Chem Soc 2024. [PMID: 38888499 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c02066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Harnessing mechanical force to modulate material properties and enhance biomechanical functions is essential for advancing smart materials and bioengineering. Polymer mechanochemistry provides an emerging toolkit for exploring unconventional chemical transformations and modulating molecular structures through mechanical force. One of the key challenges is developing innovative force-sensing mechanisms for precise and in situ force detection. This study introduces mDPAC, a dynamic and sensitive mechanophore, demonstrating its mechanochromic properties through synergetic conformational gearing. Its unique mechanoresponsive mechanism is based on the simultaneous conformational synergy between its phenazine and phenyl moieties, facilitated by a worm-gear-like structure. We confirm mDPAC's complex mechanochemical response and elucidate its mechanotransduction mechanism through our experimental data and comprehensive simulations. The compatibility of mDPAC with hydrogels is particularly notable, highlighting its potential for applications in aqueous biological environments as a dynamic force sensor. Moreover, mDPAC's multicolored mechanochromic responses facilitate direct force sensing and visual detection, paving the way for precise and real-time mechanical force sensing in bulk materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nnamdi M Ofodum
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Qingkai Qi
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Richard Chandradat
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Theodore Warfle
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
| | - Xiaocun Lu
- Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science, Clarkson University, 8 Clarkson Ave, Potsdam, New York 13699, United States
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2
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O'Neill RT, Boulatov R. Mechanochemical Approaches to Fundamental Studies in Soft-Matter Physics. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202402442. [PMID: 38404161 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202402442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Stretching a segment of a polymer beyond its contour length makes its (primarily backbone) bonds more dissociatively labile, which enables polymer mechanochemistry. Integrating some backbone bonds into suitably designed molecular moieties yields mechanistically and kinetically diverse chemistry, which is becoming increasingly exploitable. Examples include, most prominently, attempts to improve mechanical properties of bulk polymers, as well as prospective applications in drug delivery and synthesis. This review aims to highlight an emerging effort to apply the concepts and experimental tools of mechanochemistry to fundamental physical questions in soft matter. A succinct summary of the state-of-the-knowledge of the field, with emphasis on foundational concepts and generalizable observations, is followed by analysis of 3 recent examples of mechanochemistry yielding molecular-level details of elastomer failure, macromolecular chain dynamics in elongational flows and kinetic allostery. We conclude with reasons to assume that the highlighted approaches are generalizable to a broader range of physical problems than considered to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert T O'Neill
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Department of Chemistry, Grove Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZD
| | - Roman Boulatov
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, University of Liverpool, Department of Chemistry, Grove Street, Liverpool, L69 7ZD
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3
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Zhu G, Zhang Q, Yu T, Chen J, Hu R, Yang G, Zeng Y, Li Y. Multiple Force-Triggered Downconverted and Upconverted Emission in Polymers Containing Diels-Alder Adducts. Chem Asian J 2024; 19:e202301147. [PMID: 38334040 DOI: 10.1002/asia.202301147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Fluorescent mechanophores can indicate the deformation or damage in polymers. The development of mechanophores with multi-triggered response is of great interest. Herein, Diels-Alder (DA) adducts are incorporated into linear poly(methyl acrylate) PMA-BA and network poly(hexyl methacrylate) (PHMA) as mechanophores to detect the stress caused by ultrasound, freezing, and compression. The DA mechanophores undergo retro-DA reaction to release 9-styrylanthracene chromophore upon applying force, resulting in cyan fluorescence. The dissociation ratio of the DA mechanophore after pulsed ultrasonication of PMA-BA solution for 240 minutes is estimated to be 52 % by absorption spectra and 1H NMR. Additionally, the rate constant of mechanical cleavage is calculated to be 1.2×10-4 min-1⋅kDa-1 with the decrease in molecular weight from 69 to 22 kDa measured by gel permeation chromatography. Freezing of PHMA gels as well as compression of PHMA bulk samples turn-on the DA mechanophores, revealing the microscale fracture. Photon upconversion responses toward various force stimuli are also achieved in both polymer solutions and bulk samples by doping platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) or palladium meso-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PdTPTBP) sensitizers with multiple excitation wavelengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guohua Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Qiaoyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Tianjun Yu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jinping Chen
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Rui Hu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guoqiang Yang
- Key Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yi Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing, 100049, China
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Cheng X, Hu H, Bu L, Wu Y, Ma Z, Ma Z. Suppressive Photochromism and Promotive Mechanochromism of Rhodamine Mechanophore by the Strategy of Poly(methyl acrylate)/Polyurethane Interpenetrating Polymer Network. ACS Macro Lett 2024; 13:308-314. [PMID: 38373339 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
As molecular design and the structure-property relationships of photochemical molecules established in the literature serve as a convenient reference for mechanophore exploration, many typical mechanophores suffer undesired responses to UV light or even sunlight in bulk polymers. We developed a strategy of a poly(methyl acrylate)/polyurethane (PMA/PU) interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) to suppress the photochromic property of the mechanophore and promote its mechanochromic property. A widely used rhodamine mechanophore (Rh-2OH) was first incorporated into polyurethane (P1). Then P1 was swollen in methyl acrylate and photopolymerized to prepare a PMA2.8/PU IPN (P2). Different from photo/force-responsive P1, P2 selectively responded to force because the low free volume in IPN greatly hinders photoisomerization of the rhodamine spirolactam, suggesting that a simple IPN strategy successfully resolves the giant problem of nonselective response to photo/force for photochromic mechanophores. Moreover, PMA/PU IPN enhanced the mechanical property, resulting in a higher mechanochemical activation ratio than PU, and the prestretching effect of PMA/PU IPN promoted the force sensitivity of rhodamine mechanophores significantly. We believe that the strategy can be applied to other mechanophores, promoting their application in more complicated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Cheng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Huan Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Lijuan Bu
- Chinese PLA Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100071, China
| | - Yu Wu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zhimin Ma
- College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Zhiyong Ma
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
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5
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Saengdet PM, Ogawa M. Swelling-Induced Chromotropism of Bionanocomposite Hydrogel Beads. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:1016-1023. [PMID: 38054652 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.3c03232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Monodispersed gelatin hydrogel beads containing smectite with adsorbed cyanine dye exhibit chromotropic responses to compression and swelling/deswelling by solvent. Photoluminescence color of the beads changes by swelling in water (blue) and deswelling in ethanol (purple) reversibly. The forces generated by swelling/deswelling are thought to induce the transition between the J-aggregate and the monomer of cyanine dye adsorbed on smectite, giving the photoluminescent color changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ploypailin Milin Saengdet
- School of Energy Science and Engineering Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, 555 Moo 1 Payupnai, Wangchan, Rayong 21210, Thailand
| | - Makoto Ogawa
- School of Energy Science and Engineering Vidyasirimedhi Institute of Science and Technology, 555 Moo 1 Payupnai, Wangchan, Rayong 21210, Thailand
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Yokochi H, O’Neill RT, Abe T, Aoki D, Boulatov R, Otsuka H. Sacrificial Mechanical Bond is as Effective as a Sacrificial Covalent Bond in Increasing Cross-Linked Polymer Toughness. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:23794-23801. [PMID: 37851530 PMCID: PMC10623562 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c08595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
Abstract
Sacrificial chemical bonds have been used effectively to increase the toughness of elastomers because such bonds dissociate at forces significantly below the fracture limit of the primary load-bearing bonds, thereby dissipating local stress. This approach owes much of its success to the ability to adjust the threshold force at which the sacrificial bonds fail at the desired rate, for example, by selecting either covalent or noncovalent sacrificial bonds. Here, we report experimental and computational evidence that a mechanical bond, responsible for the structural integrity of a rotaxane or a catenane, increases the elastomer's fracture strain, stress, and energy as much as a covalent bond of comparable mechanochemical dissociation kinetics. We synthesized and studied 6 polyacrylates cross-linked by either difluorenylsuccinonitrile (DFSN), which is an established sacrificial mechanochromic moiety; a [2]rotaxane, whose stopper allows its wheel to dethread on the same subsecond time scale as DFSN dissociates when either is under tensile force of 1.5-2 nN; a structurally homologous [2]rotaxane with a much bulkier stopper that is stable at force >5.5 nN; similarly stoppered [3]rotaxanes containing DFSN in their axles; and a control polymer with aliphatic nonsacrificial cross-links. Our data suggest that mechanochemical dethreading of a rotaxane without failure of any covalent bonds may be an important, hitherto unrecognized, contributor to the toughness of some rotaxane-cross-linked polymers and that sacrificial mechanical bonds provide a mechanism to control material fracture behavior independently of the mechanochemical response of the covalent networks, due to their distinct relationships between structure and mechanochemical reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirogi Yokochi
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Robert T. O’Neill
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, U.K.
| | - Takumi Abe
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
| | - Daisuke Aoki
- Department
of Applied Chemistry and Biotechnology, Graduate School of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba-shi, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - Roman Boulatov
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, U.K.
| | - Hideyuki Otsuka
- Department
of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550, Japan
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7
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Lu Y, Sugita H, Mikami K, Aoki D, Otsuka H. A rational design strategy of radical-type mechanophores with thermal tolerance. Chem Sci 2023; 14:8792-8797. [PMID: 37621432 PMCID: PMC10445462 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc02991c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Radical-type mechanophores (RMs) are attractive molecules that undergo homolytic scission of their central C-C bond to afford radical species upon exposure to heat or mechanical stimuli. However, the lack of a rational design concept limits the development of RMs with pre-determined properties. Herein, we report a rational design strategy of RMs with high thermal tolerance while maintaining mechanoresponsiveness. A combined experimental and theoretical analysis revealed that the high thermal tolerance of these RMs is related to the radical-stabilization energy (RSE) as well as the Hammett and modified Swain-Lupton constants at the para-position (σp). The trend of the RSE values is in good agreement with the experimentally evaluated thermal tolerance of a series of mechanoresponsive RMs based on the bisarylcyanoacetate motif. Furthermore, the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) levels clearly exhibit a negative correlation with σp within a series of RMs that are based on the same skeleton, paving the way toward the development of RMs that can be handled under ambient conditions without peroxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8550 Japan
| | - Hajime Sugita
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8550 Japan
- Sagami Chemical Research Institute 2743-1 Hayakawa Ayase Kanagawa 252-1193 Japan
| | - Koichiro Mikami
- Sagami Chemical Research Institute 2743-1 Hayakawa Ayase Kanagawa 252-1193 Japan
| | - Daisuke Aoki
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8550 Japan
| | - Hideyuki Otsuka
- Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku Tokyo 152-8550 Japan
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku Yokohama 226-8501 Japan
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Fu X, Zhu B, Hu X. Force-Triggered Atropisomerization of a Parallel Diarylethene to Its Antiparallel Diastereomers. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 37413689 PMCID: PMC10375474 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c03994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes a mechanical approach to inducing the atropisomerization of a parallel diarylethene into its antiparallel diastereomers exhibiting distinct chemical reactivity. A congested parallel diarylethene mechanophore in the (Ra,Sa)-configuration with mirror symmetry is atropisomerized to its antiparallel diastereomers with C2 symmetry under ultrasound-induced force field. The resulting stereochemistry-converted material gains symmetry-allowed reactivity toward conrotatory photocyclization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuancheng Fu
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Boyu Zhu
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
| | - Xiaoran Hu
- Department of Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York 13244, United States
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9
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Metze F, Sant S, Meng Z, Klok HA, Kaur K. Swelling-Activated, Soft Mechanochemistry in Polymer Materials. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2023; 39:3546-3557. [PMID: 36848262 PMCID: PMC10018775 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.2c02801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Swelling in polymer materials is a ubiquitous phenomenon. At a molecular level, swelling is dictated by solvent-polymer interactions, and has been thoroughly studied both theoretically and experimentally. Favorable solvent-polymer interactions result in the solvation of polymer chains. For polymers in confined geometries, such as those that are tethered to surfaces, or for polymer networks, solvation can lead to swelling-induced tensions. These tensions act on polymer chains and can lead to stretching, bending, or deformation of the material both at the micro- and macroscopic scale. This Invited Feature Article sheds light on such swelling-induced mechanochemical phenomena in polymer materials across dimensions, and discusses approaches to visualize and characterize these effects.
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