Designing naphthopyran mechanophores with tunable mechanochromic behavior.

ABSTRACT: Mechanochromic molecular force probes conveniently report on stress and strain in polymeric materials through straightforward visual cues. We capitalize on the versatility of the naphthopyran framework to design a series of mechanochromic mechanophores that exhibit highly tunable color and fading kinetics after mechanochemical activation. Structurally diverse naphthopyran crosslinkers are synthesized and covalently incorporated into silicone elastomers, where the mechanochemical ring-opening reactions are achieved under tension to generate the merocyanine dyes. Strategic structural modifications to the naphthopyran mechanophore scaffold produce dramatic differences in the color and thermal electrocyclization behavior of the corresponding merocyanine dyes. The color of the merocyanines vari

SUBMITTER: Versaw BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8159456 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature