Achieving Multimodal Trainable Self‐Strengthening Elastomers Through Mechano‐Oxidative Synergistic Induced Crosslinking

ABSTRACT Mechanically induced radical crosslinking strategies for material self‐strengthening have been widely applied in soft robotics and impact protection. However, this mechanism predominantly relies on polymer chain scission to generate active radicals, necessitating large loads to initiate reactions. This often induces damage and fails to address low‐energy, precise reinforcement needs. Here, we introduce a mechano‐oxidative synergistic strategy by incorporating the mechanosensitive small molecule initiator triethylborane‐4‐methoxypyridine (TEB–MeOPy) into a block copolymer network. At only 0.15 MPa stress, mechanical force synergizes with ambient oxygen to convert TEB–MeOPy into active radicals that drive efficient, irreversible crosslinking in the solid‐state polymer, giving rise to an increment in mechanical strength for elastomers. This enables self‐reinforcement triggered by localized high stress fields, bypassing the need for global high stress activation. Moreover, predictions from our stress–crosslinking degree model match well with the system's dynamic evolution, enabling controlled self‐strengthening of the elastomer. The material exhibits superior responses under multimodal loading, surmounting environmental dependencies in solid‐state polymer and conventional high threshold constraints, offering fresh insights for mechanochemically driven next‐generation intelligent soft materials.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2026-04-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.9665552
Primary Topic
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Achieving Multimodal Trainable Self‐Strengthening Elastomers Through Mechano‐Oxidative Synergistic Induced Crosslinking

Xiangcheng Pan, Zhikang Xie, Xinghao Fan, Zhe Chen et al.
Angewandte Chemie
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
article

Achieving Multimodal Trainable Self‐Strengthening Elastomers Through Mechano‐Oxidative Synergistic Induced Crosslinking

Xiangcheng Pan, Zhikang Xie, Xinghao Fan, Zhe Chen, Zhenhua Wang
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Mechanically induced radical crosslinking strategies for material self‐strengthening have been widely applied in soft robotics and impact protection. However, this mechanism predominantly relies on polymer chain scission to generate active radicals, necessitating large loads to initiate reactions. This often induces damage and fails to address low‐energy, precise reinforcement needs. Here, we introduce a mechano‐oxidative synergistic strategy by incorporating the mechanosensitive small molecule initiator triethylborane‐4‐methoxypyridine (TEB–MeOPy) into a block copolymer network. At only 0.15 MPa stress, mechanical force synergizes with ambient oxygen to convert TEB–MeOPy into active radicals that drive efficient, irreversible crosslinking in the solid‐state polymer, giving rise to an increment in mechanical strength for elastomers. This enables self‐reinforcement triggered by localized high stress fields, bypassing the need for global high stress activation. Moreover, predictions from our stress–crosslinking degree model match well with the system's dynamic evolution, enabling controlled self‐strengthening of the elastomer. The material exhibits superior responses under multimodal loading, surmounting environmental dependencies in solid‐state polymer and conventional high threshold constraints, offering fresh insights for mechanochemically driven next‐generation intelligent soft materials.

Angewandte Chemie
Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN), Fudan University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Engineering of Polymers
Openalex Percentile: Top 15%
Hydrogels: synthesis, properties, applications
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