Mechanically Gated Generation of a 3H‑Anthra[2,1‑b]pyran Photoswitch Enabling Multicolor Switching

Yan Sun, Wendy Granados Razo, Maxwell J. Robb · 2026

Read Mechanically Gated Generation of a 3H‑Anthra[2,1‑b]pyran Photoswitch Enabling Multicolor Switching by Yan Sun, Wendy Granados Razo, Maxwell J. Robb (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13394452.txt.

Description

Yan Sun and co-authors present, in 2026, a colour-changing switch that force must unlock before light can flip it. Stress pulls the starting molecule apart and frees a yellow light switch built on an anthrapyran frame. Only then can ultraviolet light open a ring and turn the dye orange-red. Older designs gave just one colour change, from clear to coloured.

Three stages now mark what a plastic part has been through. Force alone leaves it yellow, and force plus light turns it orange-red. The authors say such parts could sense strain, print patterns in colour, or act as tiny logic gates. The work widens the kit for smart plastics.

Catalog record

CREATORYan Sun, Wendy Granados Razo, Maxwell J. Robb
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE15289
LICENSEhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/PMC13394452

Browse the full library · About the Tower of Babel