Mechanochemistry

Abstract

Mechanochemistry is the use of mechanical forces to induce chemical changes in materials. In this article, we focus on the use of mechanophores—functional groups that react or that can be activated by mechanical force—as force sensors and as latent catalysts or cross‐linking complexes for self‐healing materials. We also examine the ability of single‐molecule force‐clamp spectroscopy, which is based on atomic force microscopy, to provide details about the kinetics of reactions that can, in turn, lead to clearer understanding of the potential energy landscape of reactions and to sub‐ångström‐scale detail about the geometry of mechanochemical reactions. Mechanical force can reduce the activation energy barrier for thermochemical reactions or can alter the shape of the potential energy surface for chemical reactions, differently from heat or light alone, so that otherwise forbidden or slow processes may occur under mild conditions. Thus, mechanochemistry is a tool for chemical synthesis that can complement thermochemical, photochemical, and electrochemical synthetic routes.