Reversible Stress-memory Phosphorescent Carbon Nanodots via Supramolecular Confinement Engineering for Aerospace...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Supramolecular Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Developing mechano-responsive materials with reversible stress-recording capabilities is challenging, especially for extreme environments where degradation is common.
• Existing covalent bond-dependent systems often fail irreversibly under stress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a novel mechano-responsive material with reversible and durable stress-recording properties.
• To explore the potential of this material for structural health monitoring in aerospace applications.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a dynamic supramolecular confinement framework using hydrogen bonds to trap carbon nanodots (CNDs) within a cyclodextrin matrix.
• Investigated the disruption and recovery of the phosphorescence intensity under mechanical stress and ultrasonic treatment.

Main Results:

• Achieved reversible and memorable mechano-responsive room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP).
• Demonstrated that mechanical stress weakens RTP by disrupting the hydrogen-bond network and enhancing non-radiative decay.
• Showcased RTP recovery through ultrasonic reconstruction of the cyclodextrin matrix.

Conclusions:

• The developed CND-cyclodextrin system offers a promising approach for reversible mechano-responsive RTP materials.
• The material successfully visualized stress distribution in aerospace components, indicating its utility for structural health monitoring.
• This work presents a non-destructive monitoring paradigm suitable for extreme aerospace environments.