RSC Mechanochemistry was delighted to sponsor the recent Early Career Researchers Mechanochemistry Symposium in Birmingham, UK. Organised by our Advisory Board members Debbie Crawford and Adam Michalchuk. The event featured a Dragon’s Den-style competition in which teams got to pitch their ideas to Dragons in the field of mechanochemistry.
The winning Dragon’s Den team
All Early Career Researchers and Dragons from the Dragon’s Den competition
Editor-in-Chief Tomislav Friščić talking about RSC Mechanochemistry
In my field of soft matter mechanochemistry, we have seen some pretty exciting progress thanks to the development of increasing numbers of synthetic molecules that respond to mechanical force in specific ways. Some key examples are mechanochromic, mechanofluorescent and mechanoluminescent reporters, as well as force-triggered release mechanisms through mechanochemical linkers, reactions kick-started by radicals or mechanocatalysts, mechanochemical switches, and, more recently, artificial catch bonds. What is really exciting is that more and more of these mechanoresponsive systems are working in water, which opens up a lot of possibilities for integrating them with biological systems.
There is considerable evidence that mechanochemistry is often better than other synthetic methods, especially solution-based ones. Mechanochemistry uses mechanical force to drive chemical reactions, and it can be more efficient, resource-saving and environmentally friendly than traditional solutions.
Mechanochemistry has always been a paradigm-shifting method for conducting chemical reactions. While we often celebrate groundbreaking ideas in hindsight, they are not always embraced immediately. Consider Galileo Galilei, who faced life imprisonment for endorsing Copernicus’ theory that the Earth orbits the sun. Similarly, Alfred Wegener encountered not just skepticism, but outright hostility for proposing the concept of continental drift, suggesting that continents were once connected and moved across the Earth. One of Wegener’s detractors stated “It is certain the Wegener’s theory was established with a superficial use of scientific methods, ignoring the various fields of geology.” He continued to state “We can only try to keep our distance and beg him not to deal with geology any longer…” Even Einstein’s view of quantum physics was not all that favorable, famously stating “God does not play dice with the Universe” and describing what we now call quantum entanglement as “spooky action at a distance”. These examples highlight not just a mere clash of ideas, but also the hostility directed towards the individuals advocating them.
Mechanochemistry has the potential to revolutionise many industrial applications, such as energy, nanomaterials, and environmental remediation. By using mechanochemistry, our industry can potentially reduce their costs, waste, and environmental impact, while increasing their efficiency, quality, and innovation. Mechanochemistry can also enable the discovery of new compounds and mechanisms that are inaccessible by conventional methods.