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Polymers feel the force
by
Nina Notman, RSC
—
last modified
06-12-09 04:18 AM
Copyright 2009, RSC
When the polymer reaches a critical strain, a force-induced red colour results from selective covalent bond cleavage in the mechanophore © A Hamilton and D Davis
A new way to make force-sensitive polymers that respond to stress by changing colour has been designed by a multidisciplinary team in the US. They hope that their findings will prove useful as colour sensors to indicate early damage in climbing ropes and parachute cords, and will eventually lead to materials that can heal themselves after damage.
More: http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/May/06050903.asp
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