1
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Liu J, Li W, Yu S, Blanchard S, Lin S. Fatigue-Resistant Mechanoresponsive Color-Changing Hydrogels for Vision-Based Tactile Robots. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2407925. [PMID: 39328076 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202407925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2024] [Revised: 08/26/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Mechanoresponsive color-changing materials that can reversibly and resiliently change color in response to mechanical deformation are highly desirable for diverse modern technologies in optics, sensors, and robots; however, such materials are rarely achieved. Here, a fatigue-resistant mechanoresponsive color-changing hydrogel (FMCH) is reported that exhibits reversible, resilient, and predictable color changes under mechanical stress. At its undeformed state, the FMCH remains dark under a circular polariscope; upon uniaxial stretching of up to six times its initial length, it gradually shifts its color from black, to gray, yellow, and purple. Unlike traditional mechanoresponsive color-changing materials, FMCH maintains its performance across various strain rates for up to 10 000 cycles. Moreover, FMCH demonstrates superior mechanical properties with fracture toughness of 3000 J m-2, stretchability of 6, and fatigue threshold up to 400 J m-2. These exceptional mechanical and optical features are attributed to FMCH's substantial molecular entanglements and desirable hygroscopic salts, which synergistically enhance its mechanical toughness while preserving its color-changing performance. One application of this FMCH as a tactile sensoris then demonstrated for vision-based tactile robots, enabling them to discern material stiffness, object shape, spatial location, and applied pressure by translating stress distribution on the contact surface into discernible images.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiabin Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Civil Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - She Yu
- Department of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Sean Blanchard
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Shaoting Lin
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
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2
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Talukdar D, Gole B. Foldamer-Based Mechanoresponsive Materials: Molecular Nanoarchitectonics to Advanced Functions. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2024; 40:18791-18805. [PMID: 39051976 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.4c01252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/27/2024]
Abstract
Artificial molecules that respond to external stimuli such as light, heat, chemical signals, and mechanical force have garnered significant interest due to their tunable functions, variable optical properties, and mechanical responses. Particularly, mechanoresponsive materials featuring molecules that respond to mechanical stress or show force-induced optical changes have been intriguing due to their extraordinary functions. Despite the promising potential of many such materials reported in the past, practical applications have remained limited, primarily because their functions often depend on irreversible covalent bond rupture. Foldamers, oligomers that fold into well-defined secondary structures, offer an alternative class of mechanoactive motifs. These molecules can reversibly sustain mechanical stress and efficiently dissipate energy by transitioning between folded and unfolded states. This review focuses on the emerging properties of foldamer-based mechanoresponsive materials. We begin by highlighting the mechanical responses of foldamers in their molecular form, which have been primarily investigated using single-molecule force spectroscopy and other analytical methods. Following this, we provide a detailed survey of the current trends in foldamer-appended polymers, emphasizing their emerging mechanical and mechanochromic properties. Subsequently, we present an overview of the state-of-the-art advancements in foldamer-appended polymers, showcasing significant reports in this field. This review covers some of the most recent advances in this direction and draws a perspective for further development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhrubajyoti Talukdar
- Biomimetic Supramolecular Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India
| | - Bappaditya Gole
- Biomimetic Supramolecular Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh 201314, India
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3
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Xia Y, Wang G, He C, Chen H. A Strong Supramolecular Mechanophore with Controlled Mechanical Strength. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202406738. [PMID: 38869842 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202406738] [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: 04/09/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024]
Abstract
Supramolecular mechanophores typically exhibit much lower mechanical strengths than covalent counterparts, with strengths usually around 100 pN, which is significantly lower than the nN-scale strength of covalent bonds. Inspired by the slow dissociation kinetics of the cucurbit[7]uril (CB[7])-hexanoate-isoquinoline (HIQ) complex, we discovered that charge-dipole repulsion can be utilized to create strong supramolecular mechanophores. When activated at its -COO- state, the CB[7]-HIQ complex exhibits a high mechanical strength of ~700 pN, comparable to weak covalent bonds such as Au-S bonds or thiol-maleimide adducts. The strength of the CB[7]-HIQ complex can also be tuned with pH in a gradual manner, with a minimum value of ~150 pN at its -COOH state, similar to an ordinary supramolecular conjugate. This research may pave the way for the development of supramolecular architectures that combine the advantages of covalent and supramolecular systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xia
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
| | - Guannan Wang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijng, 100029, P. R. China
| | - Chengzhi He
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijng, 100029, P. R. China
| | - Hao Chen
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, The Key Laboratory of Special Functional Aggregated Materials, Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, P. R. China
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4
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Zhang M, Nixon R, Schaufelberger F, Pirvu L, De Bo G, Leigh DA. Mechanical scission of a knotted polymer. Nat Chem 2024; 16:1366-1372. [PMID: 38649468 PMCID: PMC11321991 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-024-01510-3] [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: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Molecular knots and entanglements form randomly and spontaneously in both biological and synthetic polymer chains. It is known that macroscopic materials, such as ropes, are substantially weakened by the presence of knots, but until now it has been unclear whether similar behaviour occurs on a molecular level. Here we show that the presence of a well-defined overhand knot in a polymer chain substantially increases the rate of scission of the polymer under tension (≥2.6× faster) in solution, because deformation of the polymer backbone induced by the tightening knot activates otherwise unreactive covalent bonds. The fragments formed upon severing of the knotted chain differ from those that arise from cleavage of a similar, but unknotted, polymer. Our solution studies provide experimental evidence that knotting can contribute to higher mechanical scission rates of polymers. It also demonstrates that entanglement design can be used to generate mechanophores that are among the most reactive described to date, providing opportunities to increase the reactivity of otherwise inert functional groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Robert Nixon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Lucian Pirvu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Guillaume De Bo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
| | - David A Leigh
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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5
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Liu Q, Zhang T, Ikemoto Y, Shinozaki Y, Watanabe G, Hori Y, Shigeta Y, Midorikawa T, Harano K, Sagara Y. Grinding-Induced Water Solubility Exhibited by Mechanochromic Luminescent Supramolecular Fibers. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2400063. [PMID: 38461517 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202400063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/12/2024]
Abstract
Most mechanochromic luminescent compounds are crystalline and highly hydrophobic; however, mechanochromic luminescent molecular assemblies comprising amphiphilic molecules have rarely been explored. This study investigated mechanochromic luminescent supramolecular fibers composed of dumbbell-shaped 9,10-bis(phenylethynyl)anthracene-based amphiphiles without any tetraethylene glycol (TEG) substituents or with two TEG substituents. Both amphiphiles formed water-insoluble supramolecular fibers via linear hydrogen bond formation. Both compounds acquired water solubility when solid samples composed of supramolecular fibers are ground. Grinding induces the conversion of 1D supramolecular fibers into micellar assemblies where fluorophores can form excimers, thereby resulting in a large redshift in the fluorescence spectra. Excimer emission from the ground amphiphile without TEG chains is retained after dissolution in water. The micelles are stable in water because hydrophilic dendrons surround the hydrophobic luminophores. By contrast, when water is added to a ground amphiphile having TEG substituents, fragmented supramolecular fibers with the same molecular arrangement as the initial supramolecular fibers are observed, because fragmented fibers are thermodynamically preferable to micelles as the hydrophobic arrays of fluorophores are covered with hydrophilic TEG chains. This leads to the recovery of the initial fluorescent properties for the latter amphiphile. These supramolecular fibers can be used as practical mechanosensors to detect forces at the mesoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiming Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan
| | - Tianyue Zhang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan
| | - Yuka Ikemoto
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute/SPring-8, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo, 679-5198, Japan
| | - Yudai Shinozaki
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitazato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
| | - Go Watanabe
- Department of Physics, School of Science, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitazato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
- Department of Data Science, School of Frontier Engineering, Kitasato University, 1-15-1 Kitazato, Minami-ku, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-0373, Japan
- Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (KISTEC), 705-1 Shimoimaizumi, Ebina, Kanagawa, 243-0435, Japan
| | - Yuta Hori
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8577, Japan
| | - Takemi Midorikawa
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan
| | - Koji Harano
- Center for Basic Research on Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-0044, Japan
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuda-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
| | - Yoshimitsu Sagara
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8552, Japan
- Living Systems Materialogy (LiSM) Research Group, International Research Frontiers Initiative (IRFI), Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuda-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 226-8503, Japan
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6
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He P, Wei C, Wang Q, Liu F, Liang S, Xu Y, Kang B. Mechanochromic Polymer Film with High Sensitivity toward Tensile Strain by the Post-Curing Ring-Closure Induced Pre-Stretching. Macromol Rapid Commun 2024; 45:e2400145. [PMID: 38776530 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202400145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Mechanochromic materials have received broad research interests recently, owing to its ability to monitor the in situ stress/strain in polymer materials in a straightforward way. However, one major setback that hinders the practical application of these materials is their low sensitivity toward tensile strain. Here a new strategy for pre-stretching of the mechanochromic agent in a polymer film on the molecular scale, which can effectively enhance the mechanochromic sensitivity of a polymer film toward tensile strain, is shown. In situ fluorescent measurement during tensile test shows an early activation of the mechanochromic agent at tensile strain as low as 50%. The pre-stretching effect is realized by first inducing ring-opening of the mechanochromic agent by molecular functionalization, and then compelling the ring-closure process in the cured film by elevated temperature. This post-curing ring-closure process will result in pre-stretched mechanochromic agent in a crosslinked network. The mechanism for mechanochromic activation of polymer films with different composition is elaborated by visco-elastic measurements, and the effect of pre-stretching is further confirmed by films with other compositions. Combined with the simplicity of the method developed, this work could offer an alternative strategy to enhance the sensitivity of different mechanochromic agents toward tensile strain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peiyu He
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Cheng Wei
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Qin Wang
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Fengrui Liu
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai, 200240, P. R. China
| | - Shuen Liang
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Yewei Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Environment-Friendly Energy Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southwest University of Science, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
| | - Biao Kang
- Institute of Chemical Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, 621900, Sichuan, P. R. China
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7
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Chen L, De Bo G. Pushing vs Pulling: The Unique Geometry of Mechanophore Activation in a Rotaxane Force Actuator. J Am Chem Soc 2024; 146:16381-16384. [PMID: 38848593 PMCID: PMC11191692 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c05168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Mechanophores (mechanosensitive molecules) are usually activated by pulling them with covalently attached polymers. A rotaxane actuator offers a new geometry of activation as the macrocycle pushes against a stoppering mechanophore. Here we compare both pulling and pushing activations and show that pushing is more efficient and selective than pulling. We found that the pulling activation of a bulky furan/maleimide adduct occurs via two competing dissociation pathways: retrocycloaddition and heterolytic cleavage (generating a trityl cation in the process), while the same adduct only cleaves by retrocycloaddition during pushing activation. These results further demonstrate the efficacy and versatility of rotaxane actuators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
| | - Guillaume De Bo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, United
Kingdom
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8
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Mohanty P, Dash PP, Mishra S, Bhaskaran R, Jali BR. Thiourea Functionalised Receptor for Selective Detection of Mercury Ions and its Application in Serum Sample. J Fluoresc 2024:10.1007/s10895-024-03740-7. [PMID: 38739318 DOI: 10.1007/s10895-024-03740-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
A thiourea functionalised fluorescent probe 1-phenyl-3-(pyridin-4-yl)thiourea was synthesized and utilised as a fluorescent turn-on chemosensor for the selective recognition of Hg2+ ion over competitive metal ions including Na+, Mn2+, Li+, Cr2+, Ni2+, Ca2+, Cd2+, Mg2+, K+, Co2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, Al3+ and Fe2+ ions based on the inter-molecular charge transfer (ICT). Intriguingly, the receptor demonstrated unique sensing capabilities for Hg2+ in DMSO: H2O (10:90, v/v). The addition of Hg2+ ions to the sensor resulted in a blue shift in the absorption intensity and also enhancement in fluorescence intensity at 435 nm. Fluorescence emission intensity increased linearly with Hg2+ concentration ranging from 0 to 80 µL. The detection limit and binding constant were determined as 0.134 × 10-6 M and 1.733 × 107 M-1, respectively. The sensing behavior of Hg2+ was further examined using DLS, SEM and FTIR. The probe could detect Hg2+ ions across a wide pH range. Furthermore, the receptor L demonstrated good sensing performance for Hg2+ in bovine serum albumin and actual water samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patitapaban Mohanty
- Department of Chemistry, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sambalpur, 768018, Odisha, India
| | - Pragyan Parimita Dash
- Department of Chemistry, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sambalpur, 768018, Odisha, India
| | - Swagatika Mishra
- Department of Chemistry, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sambalpur, 768018, Odisha, India
| | - Renjith Bhaskaran
- Department of Chemistry, Madanapalle Institute of Technology & Science, Kadiri Road, Angallu, Madanapalle, Annamayya District, 517325, Andhra Pradesh, India
| | - Bigyan Ranjan Jali
- Department of Chemistry, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla, Sambalpur, 768018, Odisha, India.
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Zhang Y, Chen Y, Li J, Liu S, Liu Y. Mechanical Stretch α-Cyclodextrin Pseudopolyrotaxane Elastomer with Reversible Phosphorescence Behavior. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2307777. [PMID: 38311575 PMCID: PMC11005743 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202307777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/06/2024]
Abstract
Polyethylene glycol chains in two terminals of the naphthalene functional group are threaded into α-cyclodextrin cavities to form the pseudopolyrotaxane (NPR), which not only effectively induces the phosphorescence of the naphthalene functional group by the cyclodextrin macrocycle confinement, but also provides interfacial hydrogen bonding assembly function between polyhydroxy groups of cyclodextrin and waterborne polyurethane (WPU) chains to construct elastomers. The introduction of NPR endows the elastomer with enhanced mechanical properties and excellent room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) emission (phosphorescence remains in water, acid, alkali, and organic solvents, even at 160 °C high temperatures). Especially, the reversible mechanically responsive room temperature phosphorescence behavior (phosphorescence intensity increased three times under 200% strain) can be observed in the mechanical stretch and recover process, owing to strain-induced microstructural changes further inhibiting the non-radiative transition and the vibration of NPR. Therefore, changing the phosphorescence behavior of supramolecular elastomers through mechanical stretching provides a new approach for supramolecular luminescent materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhang
- College of ChemistryState Key Laboratory of Elemento‐Organic ChemistryNankai UniversityTianjin300071P. R. China
| | - Yong Chen
- College of ChemistryState Key Laboratory of Elemento‐Organic ChemistryNankai UniversityTianjin300071P. R. China
| | - Jian‐Qiu Li
- College of ChemistryState Key Laboratory of Elemento‐Organic ChemistryNankai UniversityTianjin300071P. R. China
| | - Song‐En Liu
- College of ChemistryState Key Laboratory of Elemento‐Organic ChemistryNankai UniversityTianjin300071P. R. China
| | - Yu Liu
- College of ChemistryState Key Laboratory of Elemento‐Organic ChemistryNankai UniversityTianjin300071P. R. China
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10
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Chen L, Nixon R, De Bo G. Force-controlled release of small molecules with a rotaxane actuator. Nature 2024; 628:320-325. [PMID: 38600268 PMCID: PMC11006608 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07154-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
Force-controlled release of small molecules offers great promise for the delivery of drugs and the release of healing or reporting agents in a medical or materials context1-3. In polymer mechanochemistry, polymers are used as actuators to stretch mechanosensitive molecules (mechanophores)4. This technique has enabled the release of molecular cargo by rearrangement, as a direct5,6 or indirect7-10 consequence of bond scission in a mechanophore, or by dissociation of cage11, supramolecular12 or metal complexes13,14, and even by 'flex activation'15,16. However, the systems described so far are limited in the diversity and/or quantity of the molecules released per stretching event1,2. This is due to the difficulty in iteratively activating scissile mechanophores, as the actuating polymers will dissociate after the first activation. Physical encapsulation strategies can be used to deliver a larger cargo load, but these are often subject to non-specific (that is, non-mechanical) release3. Here we show that a rotaxane (an interlocked molecule in which a macrocycle is trapped on a stoppered axle) acts as an efficient actuator to trigger the release of cargo molecules appended to its axle. The release of up to five cargo molecules per rotaxane actuator was demonstrated in solution, by ultrasonication, and in bulk, by compression, achieving a release efficiency of up to 71% and 30%, respectively, which places this rotaxane device among the most efficient release systems achieved so far1. We also demonstrate the release of three representative functional molecules (a drug, a fluorescent tag and an organocatalyst), and we anticipate that a large variety of cargo molecules could be released with this device. This rotaxane actuator provides a versatile platform for various force-controlled release applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Robert Nixon
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Guillaume De Bo
- Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
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11
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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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12
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Liu K, Zhang X, Zhao D, Bai R, Wang Y, Yang X, Zhao J, Zhang H, Yu W, Yan X. Stretchable poly[2]rotaxane elastomers. FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 4:300-306. [PMID: 38933516 PMCID: PMC11197719 DOI: 10.1016/j.fmre.2022.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanically interlocked polymers (MIPs) are promising candidates for the construction of elastomeric materials with desirable mechanical performance on account of their abilities to undergo inherent rotational and translational mechanical movements at the molecular level. However, the investigations on their mechanical properties are lagging far behind their structural fabrication, especially for linear polyrotaxanes in bulk. Herein, we report stretchable poly[2]rotaxane elastomers (PREs) which integrate numerous mechanical bonds in the polymeric backbone to boost macroscopic mechanical properties. Specifically, we have synthesized a hydroxy-functionalized [2]rotaxane that subsequently participates in the condensation polymerization with diisocyanate to form PREs. Benefitting from the peculiar structural and dynamic characteristics of the poly[2]rotaxane, the representative PRE exhibits favorable mechanical performance in terms of stretchability (∼1200%), Young's modulus (24.6 MPa), and toughness (49.5 MJ/m3). Moreover, we present our poly[2]rotaxanes as model systems to understand the relationship between mechanical bonds and macroscopic mechanical properties. It is concluded that the mechanical properties of our PREs are mainly determined by the unique topological architectures which possess a consecutive energy dissipation pathway including the dissociation of host-guest interaction and consequential sliding motion of the wheel along the axle in the [2]rotaxane motif.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
- College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Dyeing and Finishing of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
| | - Xinhai Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Dong Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Ruixue Bai
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yongming Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xue Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Jun Zhao
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Hao Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Wei Yu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Xuzhou Yan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
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13
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Qu W, Bi Z, Zou C, Chen C. Light, Heat, and Force-Responsive Polyolefins. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2024; 11:e2307568. [PMID: 38183385 PMCID: PMC10953547 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202307568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/08/2024]
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive polymers have found applications as shape-memory materials, optical switches, and sensors, but the installation of these responsive properties in non-polar and inert polyolefins is challenging. In this contribution, a series of spiropyran (SP)-based comonomers are synthesized and copolymerized with ethylene or ethylene/cyclic monomers. In addition to great mechanical and surface properties, these functionalized polyolefins responded to light, heat, and force, which induced changes in the polymer structure to transmit color or mechanical signals. These interesting responsive properties are also installed in a series of commercial polyolefin materials through reactive extrusion, making the scalable production of these materials possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weicheng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent ChemistryDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230026China
| | - Zhengxing Bi
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent ChemistryDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230026China
| | - Chen Zou
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent ChemistryDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230026China
| | - Changle Chen
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent ChemistryDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringUniversity of Science and Technology of ChinaHefei230026China
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14
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Dong X, Zhang Z, Xiao H, Liu G, Lei SN, Wang Z, Yan X, Wang S, Tung CH, Wu LZ, Cong H. Assembly and Utility of a Drawstring-Mimetic Supramolecular Complex. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202318368. [PMID: 38165266 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202318368] [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: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Inspired by the drawstring structure in daily life, here we report the development of a drawstring-mimetic supramolecular complex at the molecular scale. This complex consists of a rigid figure-of-eight macrocyclic host molecule and a flexible linear guest molecule which could interact through three-point non-covalent binding to form a highly selective and efficient host-guest assembly. The complex not only resembles the drawstring structure, but also mimics the properties of a drawstring with regard to deformations under external forces. The supramolecular drawstring can be utilized as an interlocked crosslinker for poly(methyl acrylate), and the corresponding polymer samples exhibit comprehensive enhancement of macroscopic mechanical performance including stiffness, strength, and toughness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangyu Dong
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Zhaoming Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Hongyan Xiao
- Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Guoquan Liu
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Sheng-Nan Lei
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Zhao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Xuzhou Yan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Shutao Wang
- Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Chen-Ho Tung
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Li-Zhu Wu
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Huan Cong
- Key Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
- School of Future Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China
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15
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Suga K, Yamakado T, Saito S. Dual Ratiometric Fluorescence Monitoring of Mechanical Polymer Chain Stretching and Subsequent Strain-Induced Crystallization. J Am Chem Soc 2023. [PMID: 38051032 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c09175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Tracking the behavior of mechanochromic molecules provides valuable insights into force transmission and associated microstructural changes in soft materials under load. Herein, we report a dual ratiometric fluorescence (FL) analysis for monitoring both mechanical polymer chain stretching and strain-induced crystallization (SIC) of polymers. SIC has recently attracted renewed attention as an effective mechanism for improving the mechanical properties of polymers. A polyurethane (PU) film incorporating a trace of a dual-emissive flapping force probe (N-FLAP, 0.008 wt %) exhibited a blue-to-green FL spectral change in a low-stress region (<20 MPa), resulting from conformational planarization of the probe in mechanically stretched polymer chains. More importantly, at higher probe concentrations (∼0.65 wt %), the PU film showed a second spectral change from green to yellow during the SIC growth (20-65 MPa) due to self-absorption of scattered FL in a short wavelength region. The reversibility of these spectral changes was demonstrated by load-unload cycles. With these results in hand, the degrees of the polymer chain stretching and the SIC were quantitatively mapped and monitored by dual ratiometric imaging based on different FL ratios (I525/I470 and I525/I600). Simultaneous analysis of these two mappings revealed a spatiotemporal gap in the distribution of the polymer chain stretching and the SIC. The combinational use of the dual-emissive force probe and the ratiometric FL imaging is a universal approach for the development of soft matter physics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kensuke Suga
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Takuya Yamakado
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shohei Saito
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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16
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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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17
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Imato K, Ishii A, Kaneda N, Hidaka T, Sasaki A, Imae I, Ooyama Y. Thermally Stable Photomechanical Molecular Hinge: Sterically Hindered Stiff-Stilbene Photoswitch Mechanically Isomerizes. JACS AU 2023; 3:2458-2466. [PMID: 37772185 PMCID: PMC10523368 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.3c00213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
Molecular photoswitches are extensively used as molecular machines because of the small structures, simple motions, and advantages of light including high spatiotemporal resolution. Applications of photoswitches depend on the mechanical responses, in other words, whether they can generate motions against mechanical forces as actuators or can be activated and controlled by mechanical forces as mechanophores. Sterically hindered stiff stilbene (HSS) is a promising photoswitch offering large hinge-like motions in the E/Z isomerization, high thermal stability of the Z isomer, which is relatively unstable compared to the E isomer, with a half-life of ca. 1000 years at room temperature, and near-quantitative two-way photoisomerization. However, its mechanical response is entirely unexplored. Here, we elucidate the mechanochemical reactivity of HSS by incorporating one Z or E isomer into the center of polymer chains, ultrasonicating the polymer solutions, and stretching the polymer films to apply elongational forces to the embedded HSS. The present study demonstrated that HSS mechanically isomerizes only in the Z to E direction and reversibly isomerizes in combination with UV light, i.e., works as a photomechanical hinge. The photomechanically inducible but thermally irreversible hinge-like motions render HSS unique and promise unconventional applications differently from existing photoswitches, mechanophores, and hinges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keiichi Imato
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Akira Ishii
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Naoki Kaneda
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Taichi Hidaka
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Ayane Sasaki
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Ichiro Imae
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
| | - Yousuke Ooyama
- Applied Chemistry
Program,
Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashihiroshima 739-8527, Japan
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18
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Hertzog JE, Liu G, Rawe BW, Maddi VJ, Hart LF, Oh J, Dolinski ND, Rowan SJ. Balancing ring and stopper group size to control the stability of doubly threaded [3]rotaxanes. Org Biomol Chem 2023; 21:6969-6978. [PMID: 37581904 DOI: 10.1039/d3ob01123b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
Synthesizing doubly threaded [3]rotaxanes requires the use of larger rings than more traditional singly threaded [2]rotaxanes. A key challenge in accessing stable doubly threaded [3]rotaxanes with large rings is finding the right combination of ring to stopper size. In this study, a series of doubly threaded [3]rotaxanes derived from five different sized macrocycles in the size range of 40-48 atoms and two different stopper groups, which contain 1 or 2 tris(p-t-butylbiphenyl)methyl moieties, were prepared and their kinetic stability examined. These interlocked compounds were synthesized using a metal-templated approach and fully characterized utilizing a combination of mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy, and size-exclusion chromatography techniques. The effect of ring size on the stability of the doubly threaded [3]rotaxane was investigated via kinetic stability tests monitored using 1H-NMR spectroscopy. By tightening the macrocycle systematically every 2 atoms from 48 to 40 atoms, a wide range of doubly threaded interlocked molecules could be accessed in which the rate of room temperature slippage of the macrocycle from the dumbbells could be tuned. Using the larger stopper group with a 48-atom ring results in no observable rotaxane, 46-44 atom macrocycles result in metastable rotaxane species with a slippage half-life of ∼5 weeks and ∼9 weeks, respectively, while macrocycles of 42 atoms or smaller yield a stable rotaxane. The smaller sized stopper is not able to fully stabilize any of the [3]rotaxane structures but metastable [3]rotaxanes are obtained with slippage half-lives of 25 ± 2 hours and 13 ± 1 days using macrocycles with 42 or 40 atoms, respectively. These results highlight the dramatic effect that relatively small ring size changes can have on the structure of doubly threaded [3]rotaxanes and lay the synthetic groundwork for a range of higher order doubly threaded interlocked architectures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerald E Hertzog
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Guancen Liu
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| | - Benjamin W Rawe
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Vincent J Maddi
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
| | - Laura F Hart
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Jongwon Oh
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Neil D Dolinski
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Stuart J Rowan
- Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
- Chemical Science and Engineering Division and Center for Molecular Engineering, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60434, USA
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19
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Traeger H, Kiebala D, Calvino C, Sagara Y, Schrettl S, Weder C, Clough JM. Microscopic strain mapping in polymers equipped with non-covalent mechanochromic motifs. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:3467-3475. [PMID: 37350289 PMCID: PMC10463555 DOI: 10.1039/d3mh00650f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
The mechanical failure of polymers remains challenging to understand and predict, as it often involves highly localised phenomena that cannot be probed with bulk characterisation techniques. Here, we present a generalisable protocol based on optical microscopy, tensile testing, and image processing that permits the spatially resolved interrogation of mechanical deformation at the molecular level around defects in mechanophore-containing polymers. The approach can be applied to a broad range of polymeric materials, mechanophores, and deformation scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Traeger
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Derek Kiebala
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Céline Calvino
- Cluster of Excellence livMatS, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 105, D-79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Yoshimitsu Sagara
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 2-12-1, Ookayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Stephen Schrettl
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Maximus-von-Imhof-Forum 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Christoph Weder
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
| | - Jess M Clough
- Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.
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20
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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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21
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Willis-Fox N, Watchorn-Rokutan E, Rognin E, Daly R. Technology pull: scale-up of polymeric mechanochemical force sensors. TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trechm.2023.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
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22
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Muramatsu T, Shimizu S, Clough JM, Weder C, Sagara Y. Force-Induced Shuttling of Rotaxanes Controls Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer in Polymer Hydrogels. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2023; 15:8502-8509. [PMID: 36732315 PMCID: PMC9940108 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.2c20904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The molecular shuttling function of rotaxanes can be exploited to design mechanoresponsive reporter molecules. Here, we report a new approach to such rotaxane-based mechanophores, in which the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between a donor-acceptor pair is mechanically controlled. A cyclic molecule containing a green-light-emitting FRET donor connected to a red-light-emitting FRET acceptor was threaded onto an axle equipped with a quencher at its center and two stoppers in the peripheral positions. In the force-free state, the green emitter is located near the quencher so that charge transfer interactions or photo-induced electron transfer between the two moieties suppress green emission and prevent the FRET from the green to the red emitter. The mechanophore was covalently incorporated into a linear polyurethane-urea (PUU), and stretchable hydrogels were prepared by swelling this polymer with water. Upon deformation of the PUU hydrogels and under an excitation light that selectively excites the donor, the intensity of the red fluorescence increases, as a result of a force-induced separation of the green emitter from the quencher, which enables the FRET. The switching contrast is much more pronounced in the gels than in dry films, which is due to increased molecular mobility and hydrophobic effects in the hydrogel, which both promote the formation of inclusion complexes between the ring containing the green emitter and the quencher.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Muramatsu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Shohei Shimizu
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
| | - Jessica M. Clough
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg CH-1700, Switzerland
| | - Christoph Weder
- Adolphe
Merkle Institute, University of Fribourg, Chemin des Verdiers 4, Fribourg CH-1700, Switzerland
| | - Yoshimitsu Sagara
- Department
of Materials Science and Engineering, Tokyo
Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan
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23
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Lloyd EM, Vakil JR, Yao Y, Sottos NR, Craig SL. Covalent Mechanochemistry and Contemporary Polymer Network Chemistry: A Marriage in the Making. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:751-768. [PMID: 36599076 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c09623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Over the past 20 years, the field of polymer mechanochemistry has amassed a toolbox of mechanophores that translate mechanical energy into a variety of functional responses ranging from color change to small-molecule release. These productive chemical changes typically occur at the length scale of a few covalent bonds (Å) but require large energy inputs and strains on the micro-to-macro scale in order to achieve even low levels of mechanophore activation. The minimal activation hinders the translation of the available chemical responses into materials and device applications. The mechanophore activation challenge inspires core questions at yet another length scale of chemical control, namely: What are the molecular-scale features of a polymeric material that determine the extent of mechanophore activation? Further, how do we marry advances in the chemistry of polymer networks with the chemistry of mechanophores to create stress-responsive materials that are well suited for an intended application? In this Perspective, we speculate as to the potential match between covalent polymer mechanochemistry and recent advances in polymer network chemistry, specifically, topologically controlled networks and the hierarchical material responses enabled by multi-network architectures and mechanically interlocked polymers. Both fundamental and applied opportunities unique to the union of these two fields are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Lloyd
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Jafer R Vakil
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States.,NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Yunxin Yao
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States.,NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
| | - Nancy R Sottos
- NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States.,Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois61801, United States
| | - Stephen L Craig
- Department of Chemistry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States.,NSF Center for the Chemistry of Molecularly Optimized Networks, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina27708, United States
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24
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Thazhathethil S, Muramatsu T, Tamaoki N, Weder C, Sagara Y. Excited State Charge-Transfer Complexes Enable Fluorescence Color Changes in a Supramolecular Cyclophane Mechanophore. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022; 61:e202209225. [PMID: 35950260 PMCID: PMC9804172 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202209225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Mechanochromic mechanophores are reporter molecules that indicate mechanical events through changes of their photophysical properties. Supramolecular mechanophores in which the activation is based on the rearrangement of luminophores and/or quenchers without any covalent bond scission, remain less well investigated. Here, we report a cyclophane-based supramolecular mechanophore that contains a 1,6-bis(phenylethynyl)pyrene luminophore and a pyromellitic diimide quencher. In solution, the blue monomer emission of the luminophore is largely quenched and a faint reddish-orange emission originating from a charge-transfer (CT) complex is observed. A polyurethane elastomer containing the mechanophore displays orange emission in the absence of force, which is dominated by the CT-emission. Mechanical deformation causes a decrease of the CT-emission and an increase of blue monomer emission, due to the spatial separation between the luminophore and quencher. The ratio of the two emission intensities correlates with the applied stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shakkeeb Thazhathethil
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringTokyo Institute of Technology2-12-1 OokayamaMeguro-ku, Tokyo152-8552Japan
- Research Institute for Electronic ScienceHokkaido UniversityN20, W10SapporoHokkaido001-0020Japan
| | - Tatsuya Muramatsu
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringTokyo Institute of Technology2-12-1 OokayamaMeguro-ku, Tokyo152-8552Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Tamaoki
- Research Institute for Electronic ScienceHokkaido UniversityN20, W10SapporoHokkaido001-0020Japan
| | - Christoph Weder
- Adolphe Merkle InstituteUniversity of FribourgChemin des Verdiers 41700FribourgSwitzerland
| | - Yoshimitsu Sagara
- Department of Materials Science and EngineeringTokyo Institute of Technology2-12-1 OokayamaMeguro-ku, Tokyo152-8552Japan
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25
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Thazhathethil S, Muramatsu T, Tamaoki N, Weder C, Sagara Y. Excited State Charge‐Transfer Complexes Enable Fluorescence Color Changes in a Supramolecular Cyclophane Mechanophore. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ange.202209225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Shakkeeb Thazhathethil
- Hokkaido University Graduate School of Life Science: Hokkaido Daigaku Daigakuin Seimei Kagakuin Division of Life Science JAPAN
| | - Tatsuya Muramatsu
- Tokyo Institute of Technology: Tokyo Kogyo Daigaku Department of Materials Science and Engineering JAPAN
| | - Nobuyuki Tamaoki
- Hokkaido University Graduate School of Life Science: Hokkaido Daigaku Daigakuin Seimei Kagakuin Division of Life Science JAPAN
| | - Christoph Weder
- University of Fribourg: Universite de Fribourg Adolphe Merkle Institute JAPAN
| | - Yoshimitsu Sagara
- Tokyo Institute of Technology Department of Chemical Science and Engineering 2-12-1 Ookayama, Meguro-ku 152-8552 Tokyo JAPAN
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26
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Chen L, Sheng X, Li G, Huang F. Mechanically interlocked polymers based on rotaxanes. Chem Soc Rev 2022; 51:7046-7065. [PMID: 35852571 DOI: 10.1039/d2cs00202g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The nature of mechanically interlocked molecules (MIMs) has continued to encourage researchers to design and construct a variety of high-performance materials. Introducing mechanically interlocked structures into polymers has led to novel polymeric materials, called mechanically interlocked polymers (MIPs). Rotaxane-based MIPs are an important class, where the mechanically interlocked characteristic retains a high degree of structural freedom and mobility of their components, such as the rotation and sliding motions of rotaxane units. Therefore, these MIP materials are known to possess a unique set of properties, including mechanical robustness, adaptability and responsiveness, which endow them with potential applications in many emerging fields, such as protective materials, intelligent actuators, and mechanisorption. In this review, we outline the synthetic strategies, structure-property relationships, and application explorations of various polyrotaxanes, including linear polyrotaxanes, polyrotaxane networks, and rotaxane dendrimers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liya Chen
- Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
| | - Xinru Sheng
- Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
| | - Guangfeng Li
- Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. .,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, 311215, P. R. China.
| | - Feihe Huang
- Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. .,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou, 311215, P. R. China. .,Green Catalysis Center and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, P. R. China
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27
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Supramolecular Rings as Building Blocks for Stimuli-Responsive Materials. Gels 2022; 8:gels8060350. [PMID: 35735694 PMCID: PMC9222365 DOI: 10.3390/gels8060350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 05/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Stimuli-responsive polymers are of great interest due to their ability to translate changing environmental conditions into responses in defined materials. One possibility to impart such behavior is the incorporation of optically active molecules into a polymer host. Here, we describe how sensor molecules that consist of a π-extended benzothiadiazole emitter and a naphthalene diimide quencher can be exploited in this context. The two optically active entities were connected via different spacers and, thanks to attractive intramolecular interactions between them, the new sensor molecules assembled into cyclic structures in which the fluorescence was quenched by up to 43% when compared to solutions of the individual dyes. Detailed spectroscopic investigations of the sensor molecules in solution show that the extent of donor/acceptor interactions is influenced by various factors, including solvent polarity and ion concentration. The new sensor molecule was covalently incorporated into a polyurethane; the investigation of the optical characteristics in both the solid and solvent-swollen states indicates that a stimulus-induced formation of associated dye pairs is possible in polymeric materials. Indeed, a solvatochromic quenching effect similar to the behavior in solution was observed for solvent-swollen polymer samples, leading to an effective change of the green emission color of the dye to a yellow color.
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28
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Hu H, Cheng X, Ma Z, Sijbesma RP, Ma Z. Polymer Mechanochromism from Force-Tuned Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:9971-9979. [PMID: 35617457 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c03056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Real-time monitoring of strain/stress in polymers is a big challenge to date. Herein, we for the first time report an ESIPT (excited-state intramolecular proton transfer)-based mechanochromic mechanophore (MM). The synthesis of target MM PhMz-4OH [(2-hydroxyphenyl)benzimidazole with four aliphatic hydroxyls] is quite facile. PhMz-4OH possesses characteristic dual emissions, and its ESIPT activity is greatly affected by steric hindrance. Then, PhMz-4OH was covalently linked into polyurethane chains (PhMz-4OH@PU). Upon stretching, the PhMz-4OH@PU films showed fluorescence color change and spectral variation with the increase in enol emission and blueshift of keto emission due to the force-induced torsion of the dihedral angle between the proton donor and the proton acceptor. The PhMz-4OH@PU films with high mechanophore concentrations (>0.36 mol %) might undergo a two-stage force-responsive process, including torsion of the dihedral angle via force-induced disaggregation and direct chain-transduced force-induced torsion of the dihedral angle. The intensity ratio of enol emission to keto emission (IE/IK) shows a quantitative correlation with elongation, and real-time strain sensing is achieved. PhMz-4OH is a successful type II MM (without covalent bond scission) and displays high sensitivity and excellent reversibility to stress. Two control structures PhMz-NH2 and PhMz-2OH were also embedded into PU but no spectral or color changes were detected, further confirming that mechanochromism of PhMz-4OH@PU films arises from the chain-transduced force. Density function theory (DFT) calculation was performed to study the force-tuned ESIPT process theoretically and rationalize the experimental results. This study might lay the foundation for real-time stress/strain sensing in practical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Hu
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, College of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xin Cheng
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, 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
| | - Rint P Sijbesma
- Department of Chemical Engineering & Chemistry and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, Eindhoven 5600 MB, The Netherlands
| | - Zhiyong Ma
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Soft Matter Science and Engineering, 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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29
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Raisch M, Reiter G, Sommer M. Determining Entanglement Molar Mass of Glassy Polyphenylenes Using Mechanochromic Molecular Springs. ACS Macro Lett 2022; 11:760-765. [PMID: 35612497 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.2c00238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Molecular force transduction in tough and glassy poly(meta,meta,para-phenylene) (PmmpP) was investigated as a function of Mn using covalently incorporated mechanochromic donor-acceptor torsional springs based on an ortho-substituted diphenyldiketopyrrolopyrrole (oDPP). Blending oDPP-PmmpP probe chains with long PmmpP matrix chains allowed us to investigate molar-mass-dependent mechanochromic properties for a series of specimens having mechanically identical properties. In the strain-hardening regime, the mechanochromic response (Δλmax,em) was found to be a linear function of the acting stress and fully reversible, making oDPP-PmmpP a real-time and quantitative stress sensor. For entangled and nonentangled probe chains, distinctly different values of Δλmax,em were observed, yielding a critical molar mass of Mc ≈ 11 kg mol-1 for PmmpP. Once physical cross-linking of oDPP in the network of PmmpP was ensured, Δλmax,em was found to be independent of Mn. The resulting value of Mc is in very good agreement with results from rheology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian Raisch
- Institute for Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
| | - Günter Reiter
- Institute of Physics, University of Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Str. 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Sommer
- Institute for Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Chemnitz University of Technology, Straße der Nationen 62, 09111 Chemnitz, Germany
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30
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Li WZ, Li X, Yang F, Chen Y, Wang YX. Visualization of Solvent-Induced Structure Evolution in Cyclodextrin Polyrotaxane Gels. Macromol Rapid Commun 2022; 43:e2200082. [PMID: 35318772 DOI: 10.1002/marc.202200082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2022] [Revised: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Cyclodextrin (CD)-based polyrotaxanes (PR) are widely used to construct high-mechanical-performance materials because of the high degree of conformational freedom. However, strong hydrogen bonds between CDs greatly limit the application of CD-PR in the preparation of ductile neutral hydrogels. In this work, spiropyrane (SP) into α-CD-based PR is introduced to "visualize" the segment motion of the network in neutral water. The aggregation-induced cohesion and critical factors for the force transmission are disclosed. This system offers a new approach for the fundamental research for the complicated topologically cross-linked structures, which is important for the design of CD-PR-based biocompatible soft materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Zhen Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China
| | - Xiaopei Li
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China
| | - Fan Yang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China
| | - Yulan Chen
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Supramolecular Structure and Materials, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Yi-Xuan Wang
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Optoelectronic Sciences, Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, P. R. China.,Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300192, P. R. China
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31
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Li X, David AHG, Zhang L, Song B, Jiao Y, Sluysmans D, Qiu Y, Wu Y, Zhao X, Feng Y, Mosca L, Stoddart JF. Fluorescence Quenching by Redox Molecular Pumping. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:3572-3579. [PMID: 35179889 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12480] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Artificial molecular pumps (AMPs), inspired by the active cellular transport exhibited in biological systems, enable cargoes to undergo unidirectional motion, courtesy of molecular ratchet mechanisms in the presence of energy sources. Significant progress has been achieved, using alternatively radical interactions and Coulombic repulsive forces to create working AMPs. In an attempt to widen the range of these AMPs, we have explored the effect of molecular pumping on the photophysical properties of a collecting chain on a dumbbell incorporating a centrally located pyrene fluorophore and two terminal pumping cassettes. The AMP discussed here sequesters two tetracationic cyclophanes from the solution, generating a [3]rotaxane in which the fluorescence of the dumbbell is quenched. The research reported in this Article demonstrates that the use of pumping cassettes allows us to generate the [3]rotaxane in which the photophysical properties of fluorophores can be modified in a manner that cannot be achieved with a mixture of the dumbbell and ring components of the rotaxane on account of their weak binding in solution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuesong Li
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Arthur H G David
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Long Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Bo Song
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Yang Jiao
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Damien Sluysmans
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Research Unit MolSys, NanoChem, University of Liege, Sart-Tilman, B6a, Liege 4000, Belgium
| | - Yunyan Qiu
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Yong Wu
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Xingang Zhao
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Yuanning Feng
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Lorenzo Mosca
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,Department of Chemistry, University of Rhode Island, 140 Flagg Rd., Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, United States
| | - J Fraser Stoddart
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.,School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.,Stoddart Institute of Molecular Science, Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.,ZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311215, China
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32
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Yamakado T, Saito S. Ratiometric Flapping Force Probe That Works in Polymer Gels. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:2804-2815. [PMID: 35108003 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c12955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Polymer gels have recently attracted attention for their application in flexible devices, where mechanically robust gels are required. While there are many strategies to produce tough gels by suppressing nanoscale stress concentration on specific polymer chains, it is still challenging to directly verify the toughening mechanism at the molecular level. To solve this problem, the use of the flapping molecular force probe (FLAP) is promising because it can evaluate the nanoscale forces transmitted in the polymer chain network by ratiometric analysis of a stress-dependent dual fluorescence. A flexible conformational change of FLAP enables real-time and reversible responses to the nanoscale forces at the low force threshold, which is suitable for quantifying the percentage of the stressed polymer chains before structural damage. However, the previously reported FLAP only showed a negligible response in solvated environments because undesirable spontaneous planarization occurs in the excited state, even without mechanical force. Here, we have developed a new ratiometric force probe that functions in common organogels. Replacement of the anthraceneimide units in the flapping wings with pyreneimide units largely suppresses the excited-state planarization, leading to the force probe function under wet conditions. The FLAP-doped polyurethane organogel reversibly shows a dual-fluorescence response under sub-MPa compression. Moreover, the structurally modified FLAP is also advantageous in the wide dynamic range of its fluorescence response in solvent-free elastomers, enabling clearer ratiometric fluorescence imaging of the molecular-level stress concentration during crack growth in a stretched polyurethane film.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuya Yamakado
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shohei Saito
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
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33
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Kotani R, Yokoyama S, Nobusue S, Yamaguchi S, Osuka A, Yabu H, Saito S. Bridging pico-to-nanonewtons with a ratiometric force probe for monitoring nanoscale polymer physics before damage. Nat Commun 2022; 13:303. [PMID: 35027559 PMCID: PMC8758707 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27972-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the transmission of nanoscale forces in the pico-to-nanonewton range is important in polymer physics. While physical approaches have limitations in analyzing the local force distribution in condensed environments, chemical analysis using force probes is promising. However, there are stringent requirements for probing the local forces generated before structural damage. The magnitude of those forces corresponds to the range below covalent bond scission (from 200 pN to several nN) and above thermal fluctuation (several pN). Here, we report a conformationally flexible dual-fluorescence force probe with a theoretically estimated threshold of approximately 100 pN. This probe enables ratiometric analysis of the distribution of local forces in a stretched polymer chain network. Without changing the intrinsic properties of the polymer, the force distribution was reversibly monitored in real time. Chemical control of the probe location demonstrated that the local stress concentration is twice as biased at crosslinkers than at main chains, particularly in a strain-hardening region. Due to the high sensitivity, the percentage of the stressed force probes was estimated to be more than 1000 times higher than the activation rate of a conventional mechanophore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryota Kotani
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Soichi Yokoyama
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Shunpei Nobusue
- Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Uji, 611-0011, Japan
| | | | - Atsuhiro Osuka
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Yabu
- WPI-Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR), Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
| | - Shohei Saito
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
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34
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Kim D, Kwon MS, Lee CW. Mechanochromic polymers with a multimodal chromic transition: mechanophore design and transduction mechanism. Polym Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2py00435f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
This review presents the recent progress in multi-chromic polymers embedded with mechanophores concentrating on transduction mechanisms and design concepts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daewhan Kim
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Sang Kwon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Chung Whan Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
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35
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Traeger H, Sagara Y, Berrocal JA, Schrettl S, Weder C. Strain-correlated mechanochromism in different polyurethanes featuring a supramolecular mechanophore. Polym Chem 2022. [DOI: 10.1039/d2py00218c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A previously reported, supramolecular, loop-forming mechanophore comprised of two covalently connected perylene diimide (PDI) dyes was equipped with hydroxy groups and covalently incorporated into different polyurethanes (PUs). Four PUs with...
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36
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Wang T, Wang H, Shen L, Zhang N. Force-induced strengthening of a mechanochromic polymer based on a naphthalene-fused cyclobutane mechanophore. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:12675-12678. [PMID: 34779466 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc05305a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We discovered a force-induced strengthening of a mechanochromic polymer based on a naphthalene-fused cyclobutane mechanophore (NCD). Our results revealed that mechanically induced retro-cycloaddition of the NCD and subsequent crosslinking reactions between CC bonds were responsible for this peculiar strenghthening, and demonstrated the good possibility that the NCD can be applied in smart materials fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taisheng Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Structural Materials and Application Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China
| | - Haoxiang Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China.
| | - Lei Shen
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China.
| | - Na Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing Institute of Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China. .,Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Structural Materials and Application Technology, Nanjing, 211167, P. R. China
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37
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He S, Stratigaki M, Centeno SP, Dreuw A, Göstl R. Tailoring the Properties of Optical Force Probes for Polymer Mechanochemistry. Chemistry 2021; 27:15889-15897. [PMID: 34582082 PMCID: PMC9292383 DOI: 10.1002/chem.202102938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The correlation of mechanical properties of polymer materials with those of their molecular constituents is the foundation for their holistic comprehension and eventually for improved material designs and syntheses. Over the last decade, optical force probes (OFPs) were developed, shedding light on various unique mechanical behaviors of materials. The properties of polymers are diverse, ranging from soft hydrogels to ultra-tough composites, from purely elastic rubbers to viscous colloidal solutions, and from transparent glasses to super black dyed coatings. Only very recently, researchers started to develop tailored OFP solutions that account for such material requirements in energy (both light and force), in time, and in their spatially detectable resolution. We here highlight notable recent examples and identify future challenges in this emergent field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siyang He
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstr. 5052056AachenGermany
- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular ChemistryRWTH Aachen UniversityWorringerweg 152074AachenGermany
| | - Maria Stratigaki
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstr. 5052056AachenGermany
| | - Silvia P. Centeno
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstr. 5052056AachenGermany
| | - Andreas Dreuw
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific ComputingHeidelberg UniversityIm Neuenheimer Feld 20569120HeidelbergGermany
| | - Robert Göstl
- DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive MaterialsForckenbeckstr. 5052056AachenGermany
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