Mechanochemical Regulation of a Photochemical Reaction

We introduce the concept of mechanochemically gated photoswitching. Mechanical regulation of a photochemical reaction is exemplified using a newly designed mechanophore based on a cyclopentadiene–maleimide Diels–Alder adduct. Ultrasound-induced mechanical activation of the photochemically inert mechanophore in polymers generates a diarylethene photoswitch via a retro-[4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction that photoisomerizes between colorless and colored states upon exposure to UV and visible light. Control experiments demonstrate the thermal stability of the cyclopentadiene–maleimide adduct and confirm the mechanical origin of the “unlocked” photochromic reactivity. This technology holds promise for applications such as lithography and stress-sensing, enabling the mechanical history of polymeric materials to be recorded and read on-demand.