The molecular mechanism of constructive remodeling of a mechanically-loaded polymer

Abstract

Large mechanical loads usually degrade polymers by accelerating fragmentation of their backbones but rarely, they can cause new backbone bonds to form leading to arrested or reversed degradation when new bonds are formed faster than the original bonds break.Here, the authors report the molecular mechanism and analysis of constructive remodeling driven by the macroradical products of mechanochemical fragmentation of a hydrocarbon backbone.