Ultrasound drives chemical systems out of equilibrium

Unlike most synthetic counterparts, living systems autonomously reorganize through continuous energy input and dissipation. Inspired by this principle, synthetic out-of-equilibrium reaction networks offer promising routes to self-regulating and reconfigurable systems. While chemical, light, and electrical inputs have been widely exploited, the use of mechanical energy to fuel dissipative chemistry remains unaddressed. Here, we harness ultrasound-generated mechanical energy, leveraging polymer mechanochemistry to drive dissipative reaction networks that regulate chemical functionalities. This strategy enables transient fluorophore activation, tunable near-infrared (NIR) emission, and catalysis directed by the spatial positioning of a macrocyclic rotaxane. Through in-situ fuel generation, we achieve time-programmed and dose-dependent propagation of reactions and activation of functions, establishing a mechanochemically governed, feed-forward pathway operating out of equilibrium. By coupling shear flow-induced mechanophore activation with systems chemistry, this work creates a unique framework for achieving remotely controlled, on-demand functionalities, and lays the foundation for a new paradigm, ‘mechanodissipative chemistry’.