Strain sensitive photonic natural rubber

Abstract

Photoluminescent polymers such as poly (p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) and oligo(phenylene vinylene) (OPV) show good optical response and consequently can serve as active materials in sensor devices. Our objectives are to prepare, characterize, and develop a material for a deformation sensor. This sensor combines the properties of pohotoluminescent polymers, which emit light when excited by photons, and the elastic properties of natural rubber. Natural rubber, grafted with small amounts (0.5-4% w/w) of either PPV or OPV, was prepared by free radical polymeriztion using a classic initiator, AIBN. The important effects on the behavior of these materials are their compositions, the nature of the dyes, and the applying strain. Subjecting samples to mechanical deformation can significantly change the extent of molecular aggregation of the photoluminescent guest molecules, which in turn leads to a variation of the contributions of the monomer and excimer emission; therefore a change in color of the emission is possible.