Journal
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
Volume 13, Issue 23, Pages 27481-27490Publisher
AMER CHEMICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c05964
Keywords
bioinspired composites; hierarchical structure; damage reporting; fracture mechanics; bioinspiration; mechanical properties; nacre-like materials
Funding
- ETH Zurich
- Swiss Competence Center for Energy Research (SCCER, Capacity Area A3: Minimization of Energy Demand)
- Swiss National Science Foundation
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This research has developed a novel composite material combining optical transparency, high fracture toughness, and damage-reporting capabilities through fluorescence color changes to signal damage. The study demonstrates that optical imaging techniques can be used for localized detection of damage in composite materials before fracture occurs.
The increasing use of lightweight composite materials in structural applications requires the development of new damage monitoring technologies to ensure their safe use and prevent accidents. Although several molecular strategies have been proposed to report damage in polymers through mechanochromic responses, these approaches have not yet been translated into lightweight bioinspired composites for load-bearing applications. Here, we report on the development of bioinspired laminates of alternating polymer and nacre-like layers that combine optical translucency, high fracture toughness, and damage-reporting capabilities. The composites signal damage via a fluorescence color change that arises from the force activation of mechanophore molecules embedded in the material's polymer phase. A quantitative correlation between the applied strain and the fluorescence intensity was successfully established. We demonstrate that optical imaging of mechanically loaded composites allows for the localized detection of damage prior to fracture. This fluorescence-based self-reporting mechanism offers a promising approach for the early detection of damage in lightweight structural composites and can serve as a useful tool for the analysis of fracture processes in bulk transparent materials.
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