Tinkering with Mechanochemical Tools for Scale Up

Mechanochemistry provides an environmentally benign platform to develop more sustainable chemical processes by limiting raw materials, energy use, and waste generation while using physically smaller equipment. A continuously growing research community has steadily showcased examples of beneficial mechanochemistry applications at both the laboratory and the preparative scale. In contrast to solution-based chemistry, mechanochemical processes have not yet been standardized, and thus scaling up is still a nascent discipline. The purpose of this Minireview is to highlight similarities, differences and challenges of the various approaches that have been successfully applied for a range of chemical applications at various scales. We hope to provide a discussion starting point for those interested in further developing mechanochemical processes for commercial use and/or industrialisation.     

Strain-Driven Formal [1,3]-Aryl Shift within Molecular Bows

Delving into the influence of strain on organic reactions in small molecules at the molecular level can unveil valuable insight into developing innovative synthetic strategies and structuring molecules with superior properties. Herein, we present a molecular-strain engineering approach to facilitate the consecutive [1,2]-aryl shift (formal [1,3]-aryl shift) in molecular bows (MBs) that integrate 1,4-dimethoxy-2,5-cyclohexadiene moieties. By introducing ring strain into MBs through tethering the bow limb, we can harness the intrinsic mechanical forces to drive multistep aryl shifts from the para- to the meta- to the ortho-position. Through the use of precise intramolecular strain, the seemingly impractical [1,3]-aryl shift was realized, resulting in the formation of ortho-disubstituted products. The solvent and temperature play a crucial role in the occurrence of the [1,3]-aryl shift. The free energy calculations with inclusion of solvation support a feasible mechanism, which entails multistep carbocation rearrangements, for the formal [1,3]-aryl shift. By exploring the application of molecular strain in synthetic chemistry, this research offers a promising direction for developing new tools and strategies towards precision organic synthesis.     

A theory for species migration in a finitely strained solid with application to polymer network swelling

We present a theory for the behavior of a solid undergoing two interdependent processes, a macroscopic or mechanical process due to the deformation of the solid and a microscopic or chemical process due to the migration of a chemical species through the solid. The principle of virtual power is invoked to deduce the basic balances of the theory, namely the mechanical force balance and the transport balance for the chemical species. In combination with thermodynamically consistent constitutive relations, these balances generate the basic equations of the theory. Keeping in mind applications involving the swelling of polymer networks by liquids, a specialization of the theory is presented and applied to study the influences of mechanical and chemical interactions on equilibrium states and diffusive dynamical processes. It is shown that the possibility of a mechanically induced phase transition is governed by two parameters: the Flory interaction parameter and a parameter given by the product between the number of cross-linked units per unit reference volume and the molecular volume of the liquid molecule. As for diffusion, it is shown that the theory is able to describe the pressure-induced diffusion in swollen membranes.     

金属磨损自修复层的X光电子能谱研究

金属磨损自修复剂可在机器运行状态下不解体地原位修复零件磨损表面。铁路内燃机车应用修复剂在中修约(300 000 km)时解体观测表明,柴油机缸套表面生成自修复保护层,缸套和活塞环均无磨耗。采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和纳米硬度计表征自修复保护层的形貌和力学性能,X射线光电子能谱(XPS)技术分析自修复保护层的表面化学组成,应用氩离子溅射方法对自修复保护层的化学组成进行深度剖析,研究自修复保护层中主要组分的纵向分布特性。实验结果表明：保护层厚度达8～10 μm,表面纳米硬度比铸铁基体提高1倍,保护层主要由Fe,C和O三种元素组成,它们构成Fe₃O₄和Fe₃C两种化学态。初步推测自修复保护层是修复剂发生力化学活化并与磨损表面之间发生力化学反应生成的。     

The utilization of ball milling in synthesis of aryl guanidines through guanidinylation and N-Boc-deprotection sequence

Solid state ball milling was used in guanidinylation reactions of aromatic amines with N,N′-Di-Boc-1H-pyrazole-1-carboxamidine reagent. Reaction conditions are advantageous, and in general reactions proceed in significantly shorter reaction times and in higher yields than under the conventional solution conditions. Mechanochemical conditions were also successfully applied to the cleavage of N-Boc protecting group.     

Mechanics of mechanochemically responsive elastomers

Mechanochemically responsive (MCR) polymers have been synthesized by incorporating mechanophores – molecules whose chemical reactions are triggered by mechanical force – into conventional polymer networks. Deformation of the MCR polymers applies force on the mechanophores and triggers their reactions, which manifest as phenomena such as changing colors, varying fluorescence and releasing molecules. While the activation of most existing MCR polymers requires irreversible plastic deformation or fracture of the polymers, we covalently coupled mechanophores into the backbone chains of elastomer networks, achieving MCR elastomers that can be repeatedly activated over multiple cycles of large and reversible deformations. This paper reports a microphysical model of MCR elastomers, which quantitatively captures the interplay between the macroscopic deformation of the MCR elastomers and the reversible activation of mechanophores on polymer chains with non-uniform lengths. Our model consistently predicts both the stress–strain behaviors and the color or fluorescence variation of the MCR elastomers under large deformations. We quantitatively explain that MCR elastomers with time-independent stress–strain behaviors can give time-dependent variation of color or fluorescence due to the kinetics of mechanophore activation and that MCR elastomers with different chain-length distributions can exhibit similar stress–strain behaviors but very different colors or fluorescence. Implementing the model into ABAQUS subroutine further demonstrates our model's capability in guiding the design of MCR elastomeric devices for applications such as large-strain imaging and color and fluorescence displays.     

Solvent-free mechanochemical Buchwald-Hartwig amination of aryl chlorides without inert gas protection

A solvent-free Buchwald-Hartwig amination had been developed under high-speed ball-milling conditions, which afforded the desired products with moderate to high yields. The addition of sodium sulfate was found to be crucial for improving both the performance and the reproducibility. Comparative solvent-free stirring experiments implicated the importance of mechanical interaction for the transformation, and the inert gas was proved to be unnecessary for this amination.     

Visualized bond scission in mechanically activated polymers

Visualization and quantitative evaluation of covalent bond scission in polymeric materials are critical in understanding their failure mechanisms and improving the toughness and reliability of the materials.Mechano-responsive polymers with the ability of molecular-level transduction of force into chromism and luminescence have evoked major interest and experienced significant progress.In the current review,we highlight the recent achievements in covalent mechanochromic and mechanoluminescent polymers,leading to a bridge between macroscopic mechanical properties and microscopic bond scission events.After a general introduction concerning polymer mechanochemistry,various examples that illustrate the strategies of design and incorporation of functional and weak covalent bonds in polymers were presented,the mechanisms underlying the optical phenomenon were introduced and their potential applications as stress sensors were discussed.This review concludes with a comment on the opportunities and challenges of the field.     

Sonochemical water splitting in the presence of powdered metal oxides

Kinetics of hydrogen formation was explored as a new chemical dosimeter allowing probing the sonochemical activity of argon-saturated water in the presence of micro- and nano-sized metal oxide particles exhibiting catalytic properties (ThO₂, ZrO₂, and TiO₂). It was shown that the conventional sonochemical dosimeter based on H₂O₂ formation is hardly applicable in such systems due to catalytic degradation of H₂O₂ at oxide surface. The study of H₂ generation revealed that at low-frequency ultrasound (20 kHz) the sonochemical water splitting is greatly improved for all studied metal oxides. The highest efficiency is observed for relatively large micrometric particles of ThO₂ which is assigned to ultrasonically-driven particle fragmentation accompanied by mechanochemical water molecule splitting. The nanosized metal oxides do not exhibit particle size reduction under ultrasonic treatment but nevertheless yield higher quantities of H₂. The enhancement of sonochemical water splitting in this case is most probably resulting from better bubble nucleation in heterogeneous systems. At high-frequency ultrasound (362 kHz), the effect of metal oxide particles results in a combination of nucleation and ultrasound attenuation. In contrast to 20 kHz, micrometric particles slowdown the sonolysis of water at 362 kHz due to stronger attenuation of ultrasonic waves while smaller particles show a relatively weak and various directional effects.     

The Regioselective Solid-State Photo-Mechanochemical Synthesis of Nanographenes with UV light

Photochemical reactors inherently suffer from the low penetration depth of light and therefore rely on high dilutions to enable chemical reactions. Here we present the first method of UV (ultraviolet) photochemistry in the complete absence of bulk solvents in a ball mill. Triphenylene was synthesized by two routes, the Mallory reaction and the cyclodehydrochlorination (CDHC), resulting in yields of 81 and 92 %, respectively. The reaction was successfully scaled up to the gram scale and the robustness of the method was demonstrated for several different substrates. Finally, the regioselective assembly of nanographenes by mechanochemistry was demonstrated for larger systems. Thus, the mechanochemical approach presented here provides a powerful new tool for the atomically precise construction of nanographenes.