Ladderene-Based Polymechanophores: From Understanding Mechanotransduction to Developing Materials with Amplified Force-Response
Abstract
Polymer mechanochemistry has opened exciting avenues for developing unprecedented materials that can sense, respond, and adapt to external force. Building on our recent success with polyladderenes that transform from an insulating form to a semiconducting form in response to force, we propose a new paradigm for force-responsive polymers, directly polymerizable ladderene-based polymechanophores with amplified response, and the systematic investigation of the mechanochemical behavior of such systems using complementary experimental and computational approaches. The proposed research will lead to new types of polymerizable mechanophores, polymers that drastically change their intrinsic properties and assembly behavior in response to force, solid and composite materials with a multifaceted response to various modes of mechanical stimulations, and a detailed understanding of how to effectively transduce mechanical energy along the polymer backbone and design a cascade of mechanochemical responses. The new findings and capabilities will allow us to understand, control, and amplify mechanotransduction in polymers and materials.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910059
Entities
People
- Yan Xia
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Stanford University
- United States Army