Activated Mechanophores for the Development of Mechanically Adaptative Materials

ActiMech aims to establish a groundbreaking class of stimuli-responsive molecules that merge the unique properties of activated carboxylic acids (ACAs) and triarylmethane-based mechanophores.

These innovative Activated Mechanophores (AMs) will be developed to serve as mechanochromophores and initiators of reactions in solid-state materials, paving the way for novel mechanically adaptive materials.

The systems incorporating AMs will be able to change both their color (even multiple times) and rheological properties in response to mechanical forces.

The successful execution of this project will allow, in the long run, the fabrication of advanced materials that can serve as damage sensors in industrial facilities and instrumentation, enhancing the safety of places and technical operations.ActiMech is structured around three specific objectives that involve (1) the synthesis and characterization of AMs and their functionalization with linear polymer chains, (2) the investigation of the operating mechanisms of AMs under mechanical stimulation, and (3) the analysis and exploitation of AMs behavior in a solid polymeric matrix to promote solid-state reactions.

Through these objectives, ActiMech will combine the dissipative properties of ACAs and those of triarylmethane-based mechanophores, bringing together two classes of compounds of increasing popularity in chemical science.Overall, ActiMech will allow me to develop the skills and expertise necessary to establish myself as an independent researcher and a future organic chemistry professor in Europe.

This fellowship will provide me with the unique opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in a leading technical institution, such as the Institut Català d'Investigació Química (ICIQ), and under the careful supervision of Dr. José Augusto Berrocal, a young and rising leader in the field of polymer science.