Michalchuk AAL, Boldyreva EV, Belenguer AM, Emmerling F, Boldyrev VV. Tribochemistry, Mechanical Alloying, Mechanochemistry: What is in a Name?
Front Chem 2021;
9:685789. [PMID:
34164379 PMCID:
PMC8216082 DOI:
10.3389/fchem.2021.685789]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the decades, the application of mechanical force to influence chemical reactions has been called by various names: mechanochemistry, tribochemistry, mechanical alloying, to name but a few. The evolution of these terms has largely mirrored the understanding of the field. But what is meant by these terms, why have they evolved, and does it really matter how a process is called? Which parameters should be defined to describe unambiguously the experimental conditions such that others can reproduce the results, or to allow a meaningful comparison between processes explored under different conditions? Can the information on the process be encoded in a clear, concise, and self-explanatory way? We address these questions in this Opinion contribution, which we hope will spark timely and constructive discussion across the international mechanochemical community.
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