STIGMA is a PRIN-PNRR 2022 research project aimed to the development of piezochromic smart coatings, constituted by mechanoluminochromic Cu-based Hybrid Coordination Polymers (HCPs) dispersed in various polymer binders. The obtained coatings can sense both continuous compressive forces and impacts, showing a detectable change of luminescence properties. Coatings are at the forefront of industrial innovation in applications ranging from civil and transportation security to health, and the fabricated smart coatings aim to diagnose mechanical stresses through a simple and reliable method that correlate their optical changes (i.e., light emission) with the stress suffered by the materials. HCPs have never been studied before as mechanochromic additives for smart polymer coatings, and open a broad range of possibilities emerging from the chemical versatility and variety of HCPs. The research activity is implemented in 4 Work Packages (WP): WP1) SYNTHESIS: produce mechanoluminochromic additives with controlled crystal structure and morphology by applying a green and scalable synthetic approach; WP2) FORMULATION: prepare stable and homogeneous waterborne formulations of HCPs and polymers for functional coatings; WP3) CHARACTERIZATION: understand the interplay between microstructure of HCPs and their mechanoluminochromism in the polymer matrix, and correlate the mechanical force with the change of optical signal; WP4) MODELLING: understand the atomistic mechanisms governing the mechanoluminochromic properties via first-principles simulations. The Research Units involved in the project are: 1) UNIBO, that merges the competences of: a. inorganic chemistry (prof.ssa Lucia Maini) b. photochemistry (prof. Damiano Genovese) c. polymer chemistry (prof.ssa Chiara Gualandi) d. computational chemistry (prof. Daniele Fazzi) 2) POLITO (prof.ssa Rossella Arrigo), that brings the expertise in coating formulation, fabrication and characterization. We have recently published the detailed description of the impact mechanochromism of CuI-3BrPY in polymeric coatings (https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1369-7021(25)00512-7) We are also active in the dissemination of the mechanochromism principles, in social events such as "Researchers' night" and in divulgative video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCr0VHPPj3c&t=3s

STIGMA - Research Project

Piezochromic smart auto-diagnostic polymeric coatings

We prepare PIEZOCHROMIC SMART COATINGS using Mechanoluminochromic Cu-based Hybrid Coordination Polymers (HCPs)

STIGMA is a PRIN-PNRR 2022 research project aimed to the development of piezochromic smart coatings, constituted by mechanoluminochromic Cu-based Hybrid Coordination Polymers (HCPs) dispersed in various polymer binders.
The obtained coatings can sense both continuous compressive forces and impacts, showing a detectable change of luminescence properties.
Coatings are at the forefront of industrial innovation in applications ranging from civil and transportation security to health, and the fabricated smart coatings aim to diagnose mechanical stresses through a simple and reliable method that correlate their optical changes (i.e., light emission) with the stress suffered by the materials.
HCPs have never been studied before as mechanochromic additives for smart polymer coatings, and open a broad range of possibilities emerging from the chemical versatility and variety of HCPs.

The research activity is implemented in 4 Work Packages (WP):
WP1) SYNTHESIS: produce mechanoluminochromic additives with controlled crystal structure and morphology by applying a green and scalable synthetic approach;
WP2) FORMULATION: prepare stable and homogeneous waterborne formulations of HCPs and polymers for functional coatings;
WP3) CHARACTERIZATION: understand the interplay between microstructure of HCPs and their mechanoluminochromism in the polymer matrix, and correlate the mechanical force with the change of optical signal;
WP4) MODELLING: understand the atomistic mechanisms governing the mechanoluminochromic properties via first-principles simulations.

The Research Units involved in the project are:
1) UNIBO, that merges the competences of:
a. inorganic chemistry (prof.ssa Lucia Maini)
b. photochemistry (prof. Damiano Genovese)
c. polymer chemistry (prof.ssa Chiara Gualandi)
d. computational chemistry (prof. Daniele Fazzi)
2) POLITO (prof.ssa Rossella Arrigo), that brings the expertise in coating formulation, fabrication and characterization.

We have recently published the detailed description of the impact mechanochromism of CuI-3BrPY in polymeric coatings (https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S1369-7021(25)00512-7)

We are also active in the dissemination of the mechanochromism principles, in social events such as "Researchers' night" and in divulgative video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCr0VHPPj3c&t=3s