In this talk, I will discuss the molecular design of organic
structural materials that mimic the ability of living systems to
protect, report, heal and even regenerate themselves in response to
damage, with the goal of increasing lifetime, safety and
sustainability of many manufactured items. I will emphasize recent
developments in frontal ring-opening metathesis polymerization (FROMP)
to manufacture composites with minimal energy consumption. The talk
will also present a workflow for the design, evaluation, and
development of new “mechanophores”, a term that has come to mean a
molecular unit that chemically responds in a selective manner to a
mechanical perturbation. Mechanophores are building blocks for the
development of mechanoresponsive materials with protection and sensing
functions. The impact and challenges of introducing these capabilities
in real-world situations will be mentioned.


Jeffrey Moore (UIUC)