7 - Mechanophores in polymer mechanochemistry: Insights from single-molecule experiments and computer simulations

Abstract

Polymer mechanochemistry has recently garnered considerable interest in the fields from catalysts to mechanoresponsive materials. Along the polymer backbone, mechanical forces can be transducted to mechanophores, chemical compounds that undergo mechanically activated reactions and are incorporated in polymer as stress-responsive and/or stress-sensing units. Here, the theory, experimental and computational approaches, many well-designed mechanophores with different chemical transformations, and the effects of polymer chain in the field of polymer mechanochemistry were summarized, with particular attention paid to the insights from single-molecule approaches and computer simulations. Most reported members in both covalent and organometallic mechanophores were reviewed. The main mechanochemical properties of mechanophores at the atomistic level, such as rupture force, activation length, and force distribution, were also discussed.