Professor Cassandra L. Fraser is supported by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Chemistry Division to conduct research on difluoroboron beta-diketonates that show reversible mechanochromic luminescence. These unusual pigments change emission color when scratched, crushed or smeared, and can self erase with time. Difluoroboron beta-diketonate dyes will be structurally modified and their solid state and solution properties thoroughly characterized to gain better mechanistic insight into the factors influencing initial and post shear emission properties, and thermal and self-healing kinetics.
These studies will provide insight into molecular and environmental factors affecting mechanochromic luminescence and suggest ways to more effectively control properties for imaging, sensing and detection applications such as opto-mechanosensors, security inks, tamper detection, intelligence and forensic uses, unprecedented self-erasing/rewritable responsive pigments for art, design, consumer products, and more. The proposed research provides unique interdisciplinary research and training experiences for graduate, undergraduate and high school students crossing chemistry, materials science, and physics. Creative arts and architecture collaborations and related university-wide interdisciplinary programs provide opportunities to explore design across the length scales and to share the excitement of science with broader audiences.
