The gut microbiota synthesize hundreds of molecules, many of which influence host physiology.
Among the most abundant metabolites are the secondary bile acids deoxycholic acid (…

We report a bis-naphthopyran mechanophore that exhibits force-dependent changes in
visible absorption. A series of polymers incorporating a chain-centered bis-naphthopyran …

External control of chemical reactions in biological settings with spatial and temporal precision
is a grand challenge for noninvasive diagnostic and therapeutic applications. While light …

Mechanochromic molecular force probes conveniently report on stress and strain in
polymeric materials through straightforward visual cues. We capitalize on the versatility of the …

We introduce the concept of mechanochemically gated photoswitching. Mechanical regulation
of a photochemical reaction is exemplified using a newly designed mechanophore based …

We report the discovery of a 2H-naphtho[1,2-b]pyran mechanophore that produces a
permanent merocyanine dye upon mechanochemical activation, in contrast to the reversible …

Understanding structure–mechanochemical reactivity relationships is important for informing
the rational design of new stimuli-responsive polymers. To this end, establishing accurate …

Multimodal mechanophores that exhibit complex mechanochromic behavior beyond the
typical binary response are capable of distinguishing between multiple stress states through …

The ability to accurately and quantitatively characterize structure–mechanochemical activity
relationships is important for informing the fundamental understanding of mechanochemical …

Multimodal mechanophores that react under mechanical force to produce discrete product
states with uniquely coupled absorption properties are interesting targets for the design of …