Many of the attractive properties in polymers are a consequence of their high molecular weight and therefore, scission of chains due to mechanochemistry leads to deterioration in properties and performance. Intramolecular cross-links are systematically added to linear chains, slowing down mechanochemical degradation to the point where the chains become virtually invincible to shear in solution. Our approach mimics the immunoglobulin-like domains of Titin, whose structure directs mechanical force towards the scission of sacrificial intramolecular hydrogen bonds, absorbing mechanical energy while unfolding. The kinetics of the mechanochemical reactions supports this hypothesis, as the polymer properties are maintained while high rates of mechanochemistry are observed. Our results demonstrate that polymers with intramolecular cross-links can be used to make solutions which, even under severe shear, maintain key properties such as viscosity.

中文翻译：

---

分子内交联：以生物启发的方法解决机械化学问题

聚合物中的许多吸引人的性能是其高分子量的结果，因此，由于机械化学作用而导致的链断裂导致性能和性能下降。分子内交联被系统地添加到线性链中，从而减缓了机械化学降解的速度，使链在溶液中几乎变得不可战胜。我们的方法模拟了Titin的免疫球蛋白样结构域，其结构将机械力引向牺牲性分子内氢键的断裂，并在展开时吸收机械能。机械化学反应的动力学支持该假设，因为在观察到高机械化学速率的同时保持了聚合物的性质。