School of Chemistry Colloquia: Professor Tomislav Friśčić From Grinding to Ignition: Opportunities of Solid-State Chemistry in Green Chemistry and Materials Science

From Grinding to Ignition: Opportunities of Solid-State Chemistry in Green Chemistry and Materials Science

Tomislav Friśčić (Department of Chemistry, McGill University)

Abstract

This presentation will outline our group's recent advances in using solid-state reactivity for the development of cleaner, safer synthetic methodologies and materials designs. In particular, it will provide an overview of the emergence of mechanochemistry, i.e. chemical transformations induced by mechanical agitation such as grinding, milling, or extrusion, as a uniquely general solventless synthetic methodology that can also provide access to novel reactivity and molecules.[1]

We will also show how focusing on the mechanistic aspects of mechanochemical reactions, and in particular the use of methodologies for real-time and in situ monitoring of milling processes,[2] can lead to advances in the fundamental understanding and prediction of structures and thermodynamic stabilities of advanced materials, such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).[3,4] Specifically, we will show how mechanistic investigations of mechanochemical reactions led to the discovery of simple guidelines to design MOFs with controllable stability, based on established or readily accessible descriptors of molecular stability.[5]

Finally, we will use our studies of MOF stability and energetics as a springboard to highlight a potential new application of this class of materials for developing a new type of greener and uniquely tuneable aerospace fuels based on solid-state designs.[6]

References
[1] Friśčić et al. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 1018; [2] Friśčić et al. Nature Chem. 2013, 5, 66; [3] Akimbekov et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2017, 139, 7952; [4] Arhangelskis et al. Chem. Mater. 2019, 31, 3777; [5] Novendra et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 21720; [6] Titi et al. Sci. Adv. 2019, 5, eaav9044.