RSC Mechanochemistry Blog

We are delighted to introduce to you Professor Kerstin Blank, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, as one of our inaugural Editorial Board Members for RSC Mechanochemistry.

Learn more about Kerstin Blank

Kerstin G. Blank obtained a diploma in Biotechnology from the University of Applied Sciences in Jena in 2000. After 3 years as a project manager in Industry, she returned to Academia. She obtained a PhD in Biophysics from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich in 2006. After two short postdoctoral stays at the Universities in Strasbourg and Leuven, she became assistant professor at Radboud University in Nijmegen in 2009. In 2014, she moved to the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam where she led the Max Planck Research Group ‘Mechano(bio)chemistry’. Since October 2021, she is full professor at Johannes Kepler University Linz where she heads the Department of Biomolecular & Selforganizing Matter. She is co-founder of the Gordon Research Conference on Multiscale Mechanochemistry & Mechanobiology. The main themes of her research are 1) mechanical structure-function relationships of protein-protein and protein-surface interactions, 2) protein-based molecular force sensors, 3) molecularly controlled mechanoresponsive hydrogels and 4) mechanosensing at cell-material interfaces.

Read some of her recent publications:

Fortified Coiled Coils: Enhancing Mechanical Stability with Lactam or Metal Staples

Patricia López-García, Aline D. de Araujo, Ana E. Bergues-Pupo, Isabell Tunn, David P. Fairlie and Kerstin G. Blank

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2021, 60, 232-236

Influence of Network Topology on the Viscoelastic Properties of Dynamically Crosslinked Hydrogels

Emilia M. Grad, Isabell Tunn, Dion Voerman, Alberto S. de Léon, Roel Hammink and Kerstin G. Blank

Front. Chem., 2020, 8, 536

Decoding Biomineralization: Interaction of a Mad10-Derived Peptide with Magnetite Thin Films

Anna Pohl, Florian Berger, Ruby M. A. Sullan, Carmen Valverde-Tercedor, Kinga Freindl, Nika Spiridis, Christopher T. Lefèvre, Nicolas Menguy, Stefan Klumpp, Kerstin G. Blank and Damien Faivre

Nano Lett., 2019, 19, 8207-8215

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We are delighted to introduce to you Professor Lars Borchardt, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, as one of our inaugural Editorial Board Members for RSC Mechanochemistry.

Learn more about Lars Borchardt

Prof. Lars Borchardt is a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the Ruhr-University Bochum, located in Germany. He obtained his doctoral degree in Chemistry in 2013 from the Technische Universität Dresden, where his research focused on the development of porous materials for energy storage applications. Subsequently, he pursued post-doctoral research in catalysis at ETH Zürich. In 2015, he established his own independent research group, dedicated to the exploration of mechanochemistry. This groundbreaking field encompasses a diverse range of areas, including the synthesis of materials such as polymers, porous materials, and graphenes, the advancement of novel mechanocatalytic concepts for organic synthesis, and the exciting realm of photo-mechanochemistry. His profound interest lies in unraveling the underlying mechanistic principles governing mechanochemistry, as well as devising innovative setups for scaling up mechanochemical processes. His contributions to the field have been honored with prestigious awards, including the ERC starting grant, Innovators under 35-Awards, as well as the esteemed Daimler-Benz and Max-Buchner fellowships.

Read some of his recent publications:

The Sonogashira Coupling on Palladium Milling Balls – A new Reaction Pathway in Mechanochemistry

Wilm Pickhardt, Eleonora Siegfried, Sven Fabig, Marisol Fabienne Rappen, Martin Etter, Maximilian Wohlgemuth, Sven Grätz and Lars Borchardt

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202301490

Rationalizing the formation of porosity in mechanochemically-synthesized polymers

Annika Krusenbaum, Steffi Krause Hinojosa, Sven Fabig, Valentin Becker, Sven Grätz and Lars Borchardt

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2023, 25, 16781-16789

From Inert to Catalytically Active Milling Media: Galvanostatic Coating for Direct Mechanocatalysis

Maximilian Wohlgemuth, Maike Mayer, Marisol Rappen, Fabian Schmidt, Roman Saure, Sven Grätz and Lars Borchardt

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2022, 61, e202212694

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We are delighted to introduce to you Professor Hajime Ito, Hokkaido University, Japan, as one of our inaugural Associate Editors for RSC Mechanochemistry.

Learn more about Hajime Ito

Hajime Ito was born in 1968 in Osaka, Japan. He received his Ph.D. in 1996 from Kyoto University under the supervision of Prof. Yoshihiko Ito and Prof. Masahiro Murakami. He then joined the research group of Prof. Akira Hosomi at Tsukuba University before moving to the Institute for Molecular Science in Okazaki in 1999. He then worked as a visiting scientist in the research group of Prof. Kim D. Janda at The Scripps Research Institute. In 2002, he joined the research group of Prof. Masaya Sawamura at Hokkaido University. He was promoted to full professor in 2010. He became a distinguished professor in 2022. He is also appointed as the Deputy Director of the Institute of Reaction Design and Development (WPI-ICReDD) at Hokkaido University. He is also appointed as a PI for JST CREST “Innovative Reactions.”

His research interests include the development of new organic synthesis methods and organic crystalline materials through the use of organoboron, silicon, and mechanochemistry. He received the Chemical Society of Japan Award for Creative Work (2014), the SSOCJ Fujifilm Functional Materials Science Award (2017), and the HSFC DemoDay Hokkaido Governor’s Award (2022).

Read some of his recent publications:

Mechanochemical Approach for Air-Tolerant and Extremely Fast Lithium-Based Birch Reductions in Minutes

Yunpeng Gao, Koji Kubota and Hajime Ito

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202217723

Mechanochemistry-Directed Ligand Design: Development of a High-Performance Phosphine Ligand for Palladium-Catalyzed Mechanochemical Organoboron Cross-Coupling

Tamae Seo, Koji Kubota and Hajime Ito

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145, 6823-6837

Redox reactions of small organic molecules using ball milling and piezoelectric materials

Koji Kubota, Yadong Pang, Akira Miura and Hajime Ito

Science, 2019, 366, 1500-1504

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We are delighted to introduce to you Professor Jeffrey Moore, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, as one of our inaugural Editorial Board Members for RSC Mechanochemistry.

Learn more about Jeffrey Moore

Jeffrey Moore received his B.S. in chemistry (1984) and Ph.D. in materials science and engineering (1989) from the University of Illinois. In 1990, he joined the faculty at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and in 1993 returned to the University of Illinois, where he was Professor of Chemistry and of Materials Science & Engineering until 2022. Jeff currently holds the titles of Stanley O. Ikenberry Research Professor of Chemistry, Stanley O. Ikenberry Endowed Chair Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Chemistry. Jeff is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society (ACS). For 14 years he served as an associate editor for the Journal of American Chemical Society. He received the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2018 Stephanie L. Kwolek Award. He has published over 400 articles covering a variety of topics. He served as Director of the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois from 2017-2022.

Read some of his recent publications:

Plasma Electrochemistry for Carbon-Carbon Bond Formation via Pinacol Coupling

Jian Wang, Necip B. Üner, Scott Edwin Dubowsky, Matthew P. Confer, Rohit Bhargava, Yunyan Sun, Yuting Zhou, R. Mohan Sankaran and Jeffrey S. Moore

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2023, 145, 10470-10474

Mechanically Triggered Carbon Monoxide Release with Turn-On Aggregation-Induced Emission

Yunyan Sun, William J. Neary, Zachary P. Burke, Hai Qian, Lingyang Zhu and Jeffrey S. Moore

J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2022, 144, 1125-1129

Flyby reaction trajectories: Chemical dynamics under extrinsic force

Yun Liu, Soren Holm, Jan Meisner, Yuan Jia, Qiong Wu, Toby J. Woods, Todd J. Martinez and Jeffrey S. Moore

Science, 2021, 373, 208-212

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We are delighted to introduce to you Professor Guan-Wu Wang, University of Science and Technology China, China, as one of our inaugural Editorial Board Members for RSC Mechanochemistry.

Learn more about Guan-Wu Wang

Guan-Wu Wang is a Chair Professor at University of Science and Technology of China. He earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Lanzhou University in 1987, 1990, 1993, respectively. He then did his postdoctoral work at Fudan University, Kyoto University, University of Kentucky, University of Chicago and Yale University. In May of 2000, he joined the University of Science and Technology of China as a full professor. He is a recipient of the ‘‘High-Level Talent Program’’ of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (1999) and the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2001). His research interests include mechanochemical organic synthesis and fullerene chemistry.

Read some of his recent publications:

Simultaneous Ring Contraction and Expansion Reaction: Electrosynthesis of Heterocycle-Fused Fulleroids and Photovoltaic Application

Zheng-Chun Yin, Mingjie Li, Chuang Niu, Wei-Feng Wang, Wen-Rui Liu, Qian-Wen Zhang and Guan-Wu Wang

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2023, 62, e202304321

[60]Fullerene-Fused Cyclopentanes: Mechanosynthesis and Photovoltaic Application

Gang Shao, Chuang Niu, Hong-Wei Liu, Huan Yang, Jun-Shen Chen, Yang-Rong Yao, Shangfeng Yang and Guan-Wu Wang

Org. Lett., 2023, 25, 1229-1234

Solvent-Free Mechanosynthesis of Polysubstituted 1,2-Dihydroquinolines from Anilines and Alkyne Esters

Hui Xu and Guan-Wu Wang

J. Org. Chem., 2022, 87, 8480-8491

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We are delighted to introduce to you our Editors-in-Chief for RSC Mechanochemistry, Professors James Batteas and Tomislav Friščić.

Learn more about James Batteas

Professor James Batteas is a Regents Professor and D. Wayne Goodman Professor of Chemistry, and a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU). He earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin in 1990, and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley in 1995. He is an expert in the materials chemistry of surfaces and interfaces, with research activities spanning a broad range of fundamental surface and interfacial phenomena. These include organic molecular electronics, catalysis, plasmonics, tribology, “smart” surfaces, and self-organizing nanoscale materials. His research in tribology focuses on the bridge between chemistry and mechanics, where his lab conducts atomic-scale studies of friction and wear of materials. Here he has extended this work into fundamental studies of mechanochemistry, and he currently directs the NSF Center for the Mechanical Control of Chemistry. He has been recognized twice by TAMU for excellence in teaching, receiving Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching awards at both the college and university levels. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2012. He previously served as an Associate Editor (2011 – 2014) and Editorial Board Member for RSC Advances (2011 – 2021) and on the Editorial Advisory Board of ACS Central Science (2014-2020).

Read some of his recent publications:

Studies of the Reactivity of Graphene Driven by Mechanical Distortions

Nathaniel Hawthorne, Sayan Banerjee, Quentarius Moore, Andrew M. Rappe and James D. Batteas

J. Phys. Chem. C 2022, 126, 17569-17578

Mechanical and Electronic Properties of Diacetylene and Polydiacetylene Self-Assembled Monolayers on Au(111)

Fanglue Wu, N.V.S. Dinesh K. Bhupathiraju, Andrew Brown, Zhuotong Liu, Charles M. Drain and James D. Batteas

J. Phys. Chem. C 2020, 124, 4081-4089

Formation of Coherent 1H-1T Heterostructures in Single-Layer MoS₂ on Au(111)

Fanglue Wu, Zhuotong Liu, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Michael Chandross, Quentarius Moore, Nicolas Argibay, John F. Curry and James D. Batteas

ACS Nano 2020, 14, 16939-16950

Learn more about Tomislav Friščić

Tomislav Friščić is a Professor and Leverhulme International Chair in Green and Sustainable Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. His team is developing the solid state as a medium for safer, environmentally-friendly synthesis and functional materials design – with mechanochemistry and photochemistry playing central roles. He received a B.Sc. in Chemistry with Branko Kaitner, focusing on Chemical Crystallography (University of Zagreb, 2001), Ph.D. in organic solid-state supramolecular chemistry and photochemistry with Leonard MacGillivray (University of Iowa, 2006), followed by post-doctoral research with William Jones at the Pfizer Institute for Pharmaceutical Materials Science, and a Herchel Smith Fellowship at the University of Cambridge (2008). He was a Professor and Tier-1 Canada Research Chair in Mechanochemistry and Solid-State Chemistry at McGill University until 2022.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a member of the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada, and a corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts. He is a co-founder of two “CleanTech” companies. His group’s work was recognised by awards, including the Royal Society of Chemistry Corday-Morgan Prize (2023), the NSERC John C. Polany Award (2022), the Brusina Medal of the Croatian Society of Natural Sciences (2021), the Royal Society of Canada Rutherford Medal (2018), Steacie Prize for Natural Sciences (2018), etc.

Read some of his recent publications:

Resonant acoustic mixing (RAM) for efficient mechanoredox catalysis without grinding or impact media

Farshid Effaty, Lori Gonnet, Stefan G. Koenig, Karthik Nagapudi, Xavier Ottenwaelder and Tomislav Friščić

Chem. Commun. 2023, 59, 1010-1013

Rapid, room-temperature, solvent-free mechanochemical oxidation of elemental gold into organosoluble gold salts

Jean-Louis Do, Thomas Auvray, Cameron B. Lennox, Hatem M. Titi, Louis A. Cuccia and Tomislav Friščić

Green Chem. 2023, 25, 5899-2906

Mechanochemistry for Synthesis

Tomislav Friščić, Christina Mottillo and Hatem M. Titi

Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 1018-1029

RSC Mechanochemistry will open for submissions at the end of September 2023. Find out more about the journal on our webpage and sign up for e-alerts to make sure you receive the latest news.