Stress-Responsive Reinforced Polymer Composites via Functionalization of Glass Fibers

Debonding and delamination in fiber reinforced polymer composites has been a prevailing challenge in modern composite applications, as this form of precursor damage can be crucial to understanding failure in these types of composites. Mechanochemistry may offer a unique solution to monitor these failure modes through the use of mechanophores: molecular units which undergo a specific chemical reaction through mechanical deformation of highly strained bonds present in the molecule. In this work, the fluorescent cinnamoyl mechanophore is grafted to the surface of a glass fiber and incorporated into a glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite to monitor the mechanophore activation during loading. Additionally, a thermal and mechanical study is performed to understand the effect of mechanophore surface functionalization on property changes of the resulting composite. This work is indeed successful at producing a composite capable of detecting interphase stresses and damage through monitoring of the fluorescent cinnamoyl mechanophore, allowing for an understanding of how this damage initiates in the material.

Automated summary

The study successfully incorporated a fluorescent cinnamoyl mechanophore into a glass fiber reinforced polymer composite, allowing for the detection of interphase stresses and damage through monitoring of the mechanophore. This provides a deeper understanding of how damage initiates in the material.