Polymeric materials that release small molecules under mechanical stress are highly desirable because of their broad impact in catalysis, on-demand drug delivery, sensing, and many other applications. Here we reported a new non-scissile multi-mechanophore system that releases carbon monoxide (CO) upon mechanical force, which has been identified as an important gasotransmitter with promising therapeutic applications. The mechanochemical activity upon pulsed ultrasonication can be tuned by modifying the polymer molecular weight as well as the stereochemistry of the mechanophore with up to 58% activation. Importantly, the activated mechanophore reveals cyan emission in aggregated state, enabling the turn-on fluorescence readout of CO release. This multi-mechanophore system not only demonstrates a new strategy for mechanochemical small molecule release, but also guides the design of novel force-responsive AIE luminogens.

Cheletropic inspired mechanochemical small molecule release

ACS Spring 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.