Fundamentals of Mechanochemistry

The field of mechanochemistry, especially using ball mills, is expanding fast and could become an essential pillar next to the more established thermo-, electro-, and photochemistry. While various theories exist on how mechanochemical reactions proceed, they are often applicable only to distinct material- molecule- or reaction types and frequently based on specific experimental conditions. The wide range of reactions studied, ranging from organic, inorganic and materials synthesis to polymer recycling and biochemistry requires a systematic classification of reaction regimes. In this workshop, we aim to 1) standardize data collection across this highly diverse field to enable computation analysis of existing mechanochemical protocols and 2) discuss dominant underlying fundamental mechanisms of mechanochemistry, their definitions, and how they could be systematically researched.