Mechanical Activation of Terpyridine Metal Complexes in Polymers

Hannewald, Nadine; Enke, Marcel; Nischang, Ivo; Zechel, Stefan; Hager, Martin D.; Schubert, Ulrich S.

Abstract:

The mechanical addressability of specific chemical bonds holds a high potential for the improvement of polymeric materials. While in many cases, mechanical forces applied to polymers lead to bond scissoring and materials failure, including mechanophores into the polymer structure can lead to stimuli-responsive materials reacting to an applied force in a predefined manner. In this contribution, the mechanical addressability of bis-terpyridine metal complexes embedded into a polymer structure is investigated. The activation of the transition metal complexes in the metallopolymer is monitored by adding a fluorescent sensor molecule to the metallopolymer solution during ultrasonication. Upon sonication, the activation of the complexes leads to fluorescence-quenching of the sensor. The dependency of the metal ion and the type of polymer as well as their molar mass is investigated in detail, showing that this concept could possibly be used in further application of stimuli-responsive or self-healing materials.

Research areas:

• Supramolecular Chemistry

Year:

2020

Type of Publication:

Article

Journal:

Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials

Volume:

30

Pages:

230 - 242