Sensitive Mechanofluorochromic Carbon Dot-Based AIEgens: Promising Reporting Components for Self-Sensing Plastics

Mechanofluorochromic carbon dot-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (M-CD-AIEgens) are attracting much attention because of their many potential practical applications. However, the mechanofluorochromic response of current M-CD-AIEgens only occurs under high pressure, which greatly hinders their practical applications. To overcome this shortcoming, more pressure-sensitive M-CD-AIEgens are now developed, which show approximately fivefold enhancement of photoluminescence quantum yield after grinding. This enhancement of photoluminescence is attributed to the weakening of pi-pi stacking interactions between the carbon dots, which is caused by the grinding process. To illustrate a potential application of their interesting properties, M-CD-AIEgens are incorporated into a poly(e-caprolactone) matrix to prepare self-sensing sustainable plastics, which are able to dynamically sense the external pressure distribution when subjected to strain.