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Polymer mechanochemistry

Flex, release and repeat

Force-induced covalent bond changes in mechanophore-linked polymers typically require large, irreversible material deformation, limiting successive activation cycles. Now, repeated force-induced reactions have been achieved by incorporating flex-activated mechanophores into elastomeric networks.

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Figure 1: Mechanisms for flex-activated small-molecule release in elastomeric networks.

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Correspondence to Nancy R. Sottos.

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Sottos, N. Flex, release and repeat. Nature Chem 6, 381–383 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1927

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