Mechano-responsive fluorescent polydiacetylene-based materials: towards quantification of shearing stress at the nanoscale

An OFF to ON mechano-responsive fluorescent polydiacetylene derivative has been prepared by photopolymerisation of a diacetylene covalently linked to a tetrazine fluorophore. This system has been studied at the nanoscale and shows a fluorescence emission intensity that increases with the intensity of the mechanical stimulation in the 20–200 nN range.