Molecular Crosslinking Strategy for Network Toughening
JHU Ref #: C18642
Value Proposition:
· Includes: increasing polymer network toughness through a novel chemical modification.
· Enables stronger, durable 3D-printed materials.
· Adaptable to modern 3D printing platforms for improved production from existing machinery.
Unmet Need:
Polymer networks are widely used in many different applications, from biomedical devices to structural components. These polymer networks have limited mechanical strength from the tearing of load-bearing polymer chains under stress. Current chemical strategies for improving toughness rely on introducing scissile mechanophores that break under force through leveraging ring strain or weak bonds. These come with synthetic complexity or limited compatibility. There’s a need for a method to increase the toughness of polymer networks without compromising integrity, through new mechanochemical designs that are still compatible with modern manufacturing methods such as 3D printing.
Technology Description:
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have developed a novel molecular design that addresses the need for more durable polymer networks by enhancing mechanochemical bond scission behavior through atomic-level substitutions. The technology replaces a carbon atom with a silicon atom in the crosslinker of a polymer network, resulting in a significant increase in the polymer network’s tearing energy. The mechanophore design is compatible with additive manufacturing processes and integration into 3D-printed materials, making it an exciting solution for toughening polymer networks.
Stage of Development:
· In the early stages of development.
Data Availability:
- Data available upon request.
Publication:
S.J. Melvin, et al. 1. “Enabling Selective Mechanochemical Scission of Network Crosslinks by Exchanging Single Carbon Atoms for Silicon.” Journal of the American Chemical Society 2025 147 (7), 6006-6015. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jacs.4c16323
