Issue 1, 2024

Shake, shear, and grind! – the evolution of mechanoredox polymerization methodology

Abstract

In the last half decade, mechanoredox catalysis has enabled an entirely new genre of polymerization methodology. In this paradigm, mechanical force, such as ultrasonic cavitation bubble collapse or ball mill grinding, polarizes piezoelectric nanoparticles; the resultant piezopotential drives the redox processes necessary for free- and controlled-radical polymerizations. Since being introduced, evolution of these methods facilitates exploration of mechanistic underpinnings behind key electron-transfer events. Mechanical force has not only been identified as a “greener” alternative to more traditional reaction stimuli (e.g., heat, light) for the synthesis of commodity polymers, but also a potential technology to enable the production of novel thermoplastic and thermoset materials that are either challenging, or even impossible, to access using conventional solution-state approaches. In this Feature Article, significant contributions to such methods are highlighted within. Advances and ongoing challenges in both ultrasound and ball milling driven reactions for radical polymerization and crosslinking are identified and discussed.

Graphical abstract: Shake, shear, and grind! – the evolution of mechanoredox polymerization methodology

Article information

Article type
Feature Article
Submitted
01 set 2023
Accepted
22 nov 2023
First published
22 nov 2023

Chem. Commun., 2024,60, 26-35

Shake, shear, and grind! – the evolution of mechanoredox polymerization methodology

S. M. Zeitler and M. R. Golder, Chem. Commun., 2024, 60, 26 DOI: 10.1039/D3CC04323A

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