Addition-Fragmentation-Transfer Monitored by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy.
- 1University of Massachusetts Amherst, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, 120 Governors Drive, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States.
- 2Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (International Program/Interdisciplinary), Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Abstract
Radically activated dynamic covalent bonds can enable reprocessable, thus more sustainable, polymeric materials, but conventional characterization approaches limit understanding of atomic-scale rearrangements. Specifically, the addition-fragmentation-transfer (AFT) pathway has been characterized by bulk-scale changes in mechanical properties; attempts to probe the exchange on a atomic scale are limited. Traditional spectroscopic methods cannot detect AFT because the overall bonding environment is unchanged before and after exchange with a very short-lived intermediate. To this end, this study uses fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to probe local AFT bond exchange via nondestructive characterization. Herein, allyl sulfide AFT in acrylate polymer thin films is monitored by FLIM over time, leveraging the sensitivity of fluorescence lifetime to nearby bond rearrangement through a series of control systems. Notably, FLIM reveals a continuing AFT cascade beyond the typical time scale when mechanical property change saturates. We anticipate applying these findings to other hard-to-access phenomena, as well as a mechanistic understanding of the environmental dependence of fluorescence lifetime.
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BibTeX
@article{jutze2026additionfragmentationtransfer,
title = {{Addition-Fragmentation-Transfer Monitored by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy.}},
author = {M K Jutze and Ellie Haljun and Mao Komura and Nanthicha Thajai and Reika Katsumata},
journal = {ACS nanoscience Au},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.6c00066},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921425},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Addition-Fragmentation-Transfer Monitored by Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy.
AU - M K Jutze
AU - Ellie Haljun
AU - Mao Komura
AU - Nanthicha Thajai
AU - Reika Katsumata
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/28
JO - ACS nanoscience Au
DO - 10.1021/acsnanoscienceau.6c00066
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42921425
AB - Radically activated dynamic covalent bonds can enable reprocessable, thus more sustainable, polymeric materials, but conventional characterization approaches limit understanding of atomic-scale rearrangements. Specifically, the addition-fragmentation-transfer (AFT) pathway has been characterized by bulk-scale changes in mechanical properties; attempts to probe the exchange on a atomic scale are limited. Traditional spectroscopic methods cannot detect AFT because the overall bonding environment is unchanged before and after exchange with a very short-lived intermediate. To this end, this study uses fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to probe local AFT bond exchange via nondestructive characterization. Herein, allyl sulfide AFT in acrylate polymer thin films is monitored by FLIM over time, leveraging the sensitivity of fluorescence lifetime to nearby bond rearrangement through a series of control systems. Notably, FLIM reveals a continuing AFT cascade beyond the typical time scale when mechanical property change saturates. We anticipate applying these findings to other hard-to-access phenomena, as well as a mechanistic understanding of the environmental dependence of fluorescence lifetime.
SN - 2694-2496
ER -