Research
 

Mechanochemistry

At the intersection of mechanics and chemistry, mechanochemistry is a subject that embraces many everyday phenomena including wear and abrasion, friction and lubrication, and stress-accelerated degradation of materials. Our concept of a mechanophore is a stress- or strain-driven molecular unit that can be inserted into a polymeric material to provide a molecular-scale reading of the local mechanical state or to transform materials properties in response to the local mechanical environment. Given that first-generation mechanophores are already in our hands, our group is well positioned to realize a major advancement in the field of mechanochemistry and in our understanding of matter as it experiences mechanical energy input.

Our mechanochemistry research is done in collaboration with the Autonomous Materials Systems division of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois.

(1) Can we learn to control chemical reactions by using mechanical forces?
(2) What are the fundamental molecular-level events that bring about mechanochemical activation?
(3) Can we produce mechanoactive sites – analogous to enzyme active sites – that efficiently perform chemomechanical transduction?

Representative Publications

1. Berkowski, K. L.; Potisek, S. L.; Hickenboth, C. R.; Moore, J. S. "Ultrasound-Induced Site-Specific Cleavage of Azo-Functionalized Poly(ethylene glycol)," Macromolecules 2005, 38(22), 8975-8978. DOI: 10.1021/ma051394n
2. Hickenboth, C. R.; Moore, J. S.; White, S. R.; Sottos, N. R.; Baudry, J.; Wilson, S. R. "Biasing Reaction Pathways with Mechanical Force," Nature, 2007, 446, 423-427. DOI: 10.1038/nature05681
3. Potisek, S. L.; Davis, D. A.; Sottos, N. R.; White, S. R.; Moore, J. S., "Mechanophore-Linked Addition Polymers," J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2007, 129, 13808-13809. DOI: 10.1021/ja076189x