Mechanoresponsive Self-Assembled Perylene Bisimide Films

In this work, self-assembled amino-acid appended perylene bisimides (PBIs) have been studied that when processed into thin films change their resistivity in response to being bent. The PBIs assemble into structures in water and form thin films upon drying. These normally delicate thin films can be tolerant to bending, depending on the aggregates they form. Furthermore, the films then reversibly change their resistivity in response to this mechanical stimulus. This change is proportional to the degree of bending of the film giving them the potential to be used quantitatively to measure mechanical movement, such as in wearable devices.