Abstract
STIGMA will pursue the development of piezochromic smart coatings, using mechanoluminochromic nano- and micro-materials dispersed in a polymer binder.
The active materials will be Cu-based Hybrid Coordination Polymers (HCPs), a novel type of mechanochromic additives for smart polymer coatings, which may open a broad range of possibilities, emerging from the chemical versatility and variety of HCPs.
The coatings will be able to sense both continuous compressive forces and impacts, showing a detectable change of optical properties.
We will use luminescence methods at the micro- and macro-scales, polymer coating and characterization methods, synthesis of the HCPs and computational modeling to reach in-depth understanding of our observations.
Piezochromic coatings applied on structural components will contribute to reduce materials’maintenance costs and inspection times and to prevent catastrophic failures, with a strong improvement in infrastructure and transportation security.
Scientific responsible for theDepartment
Damiano Genovese Team leader;
Chiara Gualandi, Lucia Maini, Daniele Fazzi, responsabili locali
Parthership
Politecnico di Torino (Italy)