Mechanically Responsive Materials and Their Applications

Dear Colleagues,

To adapt to the changing environment, biological systems employ specific stimuli-responsive molecules and supramolecular assemblies. Accordingly, the complex adaptation is possible due to the dynamic molecular tuning by regulating signals, e.g., specific compounds, temperature change, redox event or electromagnetic irradiation. Inspired by nature, chemists also implement controlling elements into the material design; for this purpose, adjustable structural units with properties controlled by a suitable stimulus are introduced to a responsive molecule. The respective molecular architectures that respond to external stimuli and alter their function are often referred to as smart materials, and mechanical action can be an attractive possibility to regulate properties of various materials.

In contrast to photochemical activation, the mechanical one can be achieved at dark and in nontransparent reaction mixtures. Moreover, its application does not require ferromagnetic components, as in the case of magnetically responsive materials. As opposed to the chemical triggers, the mechanical activation is noninvasive, noncumulative, and can be orthogonal to the reaction of interest. Furthermore, the mechanochemical transformation can be achieved in solid, is directional and regulated by the local molecular structure. This can lead to unusual molecular configurations and excitation states not accessible in solutions under convectional heating, irradiation, or electrical current. Last but not least, the mechanical activation is easy to achieve with relatively simple instrumentation and operational procedures.

For these reasons, elaboration and application of new mechanically responsive molecules, their aggregates, and related smart materials have become the focus of much attention, and this Special Issue is an attempt to provide a common ground for researches involved in the development of new materials receptive to mechanical stimuli. The application of such materials is limited only by our imagination, and it already involves enzyme mimics and modulation of reaction outcome, mechanoresponsive polymers and mechanosensitive channels, smart drug delivery and release, self-healing coatings, piezo- and triboelectric nanogenerators, to name but a few developments.

Prof. Dr. Elisabete C.B.A. Alegria
Dr. Maximilian N. Kopylovich
Guest Editors

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