Biomimetic chemical systems

This project builds a bridge between polymer chemistry and biochemistry and utilizes mechanical stress as stimulus to unravel and enhance (bio)chemical processes on a molecular level. For this purpose, tailor-made mechanophores are synthesized that exhibit orthogonal optical properties (absorption and fluorescence) allowing the locally resolved detection of mechanical stress. Another focal point is the initiation of (bio)chemical reactions through mechanical stress. Mechanochemically widely unexplored but biologically relevant motifs, such as free amines or redox active groups, are particularly relevant in biomimetic architectures, e.g. artificial nanoreactors.