Mechanochemical transduction of externally applied forces to mechanophores

Ribas-Arino, J.*; Shiga, Motoyuki   ; Marx, D.*

We present a theoretical study on the role played by aliphatic polymer chains in the transduction of external forces to mechanophores. Upon introducing a rigorous approach rooted in catastrophe theory we demonstrate that the rupture force of a cis 1,2 disubstituted benzocyclobutene features a remarkable dependence on the length of attached polymer chains. Not only do our findings highlight the necessity of taking into account the polymer chains explicitly when thinking about mechanochemical manipulation, but they also announce the possibility of tuning the properties of mechanoresponsive polymers by tailoring the force-transducing chain molecules.