Polymer Mechanochemistry: Force Enabled Transformations

Mechanochemistry: A Force of Synthesis

The past decade has seen a reawakening of solid-state approaches to chemical synthesis, driven by the search for new, cleaner synthetic methodologies. Mechanochemistry, i.e., chemical transformations initiated or sustained by mechanical force, has been advancing particularly rapidly, from a laboratory curiosity to a widely applicable technique that not only enables a cleaner route to chemical t...

The mechanochemistry of cytoskeletal force generation.

In this communication, we propose a model to study the non-equilibrium process by which actin stress fibers develop force in contractile cells. The emphasis here is on the non-equilibrium thermodynamics, which is necessary to address the mechanics as well as the chemistry of dynamic cell contractility. In this setting, we are able to develop a framework that relates (a) the dynamics of force ge...

Polymer mechanochemistry: Flex, release and repeat.

Importance of force linkage in mechanochemistry of adhesion receptors.

The alpha subunit-inserted (I) domain of integrin alphaLbeta2 [lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1)] binds to intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). The C- and N-termini of the alpha I domain are near one another on the "lower" face, opposite the metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) on the "upper face". In conversion to the open alpha I domain conformation, a 7 A downward,...

Mechanochemistry

The scientific community’s general interest in using mechanical energy to trigger or facilitate chemical reactivity has been growing at a speedy pace. In particular, in recent years, organic chemistry has witnessed a constant flow of examples where the use of mechanochemical techniques proved not only to outperform traditional solution-based methodologies, but also enabled access to otherwise i...