Article: Diesendruck CE, Steinberg BD, Sugai N, Silberstein MN, Sottos NR, White SR, Braun PV, Moore JS, (2013) Proton-coupled Mechanochemical Transduction: A Mechanogenerated Add. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 134 (30); 12446-12449
Abstract: A novel mechanophore with acid-releasing capability is designed to produce a simple catalyst for chemical change in materials under mechanical stress. The mechanophore, based on a gem-dichlorocyclopropanated indene, is synthesized and used as a cross-linker in poly(methyl acrylate). Force-dependent rearrangement is demonstrated for cross-linked mechanophore samples loaded in compression, while the control shows no significant response. The availability of the released acid is confirmed by exposing a piece of insoluble compressed polymer to a pH indicator solution. The development of this new mechanophore is the first step toward force-induced remodeling of stressed polymeric materials utilizing acid-catalyzed cross-linking reactions.