TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Yasuda, N. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit T1 - Mechanistic Investigation of an Elastically Flexible Organic Crystal JF - Crystal Growth & Design N2 - Mechanical flexibility in molecular crystals is a fascinating behavior with potential for developing advanced technologies. However, the phenomenon of mechanical bending is poorly understood. We explore for the first time the atomistic origin of elastic bending in a single component organic crystal using a combination of μ-focus synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ab initio simulation. KW - Flexible crystals KW - DFT calculation KW - Bending mechanism PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-581949 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.3c00473 SN - 1528-7483 VL - 23 IS - 9 SP - 6244 EP - 6249 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-58194 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Belenguer, A. A1 - Lampronti, G. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Sanders, J. T1 - Quantitative reversible one pot interconversion of three crystalline polymorphs by ball mill grinding JF - Crystengcomm N2 - We demonstrate here using a disulfide system the first example of reversible, selective, and quantitative transformation between three crystalline polymorphs by ball mill grinding. This includes the discovery of a previously unknown polymorph. Each polymorph is reproducibly obtained under well-defined neat or liquid-assisted grinding conditions, revealing subtle control over the apparent thermodynamic stability. We discovered that the presence of a contaminant as low as 1.5% mol mol−1 acting as a template is required to enable all these three polymorph transformations. The relative stabilities of the polymorphs are determined by the sizes of the nanocrystals produced under different conditions and by surface interactions with small amounts of added solvent. For the first time, we show evidence that each of the three polymorphs is obtained with a unique and reproducible crystalline size. This mechanochemical approach gives access to bulk quantities of metastable polymorphs that are inaccessible through recrystallisation. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Polymorph KW - XRD PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-549934 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D2CE00393G SP - 1 EP - 7 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-54993 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linberg, Kevin A1 - Röder, Bettina A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - Controlling polymorphism in molecular cocrystals by variable temperature ball milling JF - Faraday Discussions N2 - Mechanochemistry offers a unique opportunity to modify and manipulate crystal forms, often providing new products as compared with conventional solution methods. While promising, there is little known about how to control the solid form through mechanochemical means, demanding dedicated investigations. Using a model organic cocrystal system (isonicotinamide:glutaric acid), we here demonstrate that with mechanochemistry, polymorphism can be induced in molecular solids under conditions seemingly different to their conventional thermodynamic (thermal) transition point. Whereas Form II converts to Form I upon heating to 363 K, the same transition can be initiated under ball milling conditions at markedly lower temperatures (348 K). Our results indicate that mechanochemical techniques can help to reduce the energy barriers to solid form transitions, offering new insights into controlling polymorphic forms. Moreover, our results suggest that the nature of mechanochemical transformations could make it difficult to interpret mechanochemical solid form landscapes using conventional equilibrium-based tools. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Polymorphism KW - TRIS PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-564728 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00115b SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-56472 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lakshmipathi, M. A1 - Dey, S. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - Designing Dual Mechanical Response in Molecular Crystals through Cocrystallization JF - Crystal Growth and Design N2 - Two isomorphous crystals are reported based on a naphthylvinylpyridine coformer. The crystals are mechanically flexible and exhibit photosalient response to UV irradiation. We therefore show how multiple mechanical phenomena can be simultaneously designed into a single material by cocrystallization. KW - Cocrystal KW - Mechanical response PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c00913 SN - 1528-7483 VL - 22 SP - 6838 EP - 6843 PB - ACS Publ. CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-56561 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linberg, Kevin A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - Unintended Rate Enhancement in Mechanochemical Kinetics by Using Poly(methyl methacrylate) Jars JF - Crystal Growth & Design N2 - Time-resolved in situ (TRIS) X-ray diffraction has changed how mechanochemical transformations are studied but requires the use of X-ray transparent jars often made from poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). However, using PMMA jars can alter the apparent kinetics of mechanochemical polymorphism by an order of magnitude, questioning the interpretability of established TRIS methods. Our results suggest that rate enhancement in PMMA jars may not be dominated by chemical effects of the polymer, but rather a result of different equilibrium temperatures within the jar. These features must be better understood before control over mechanochemical reactions can be achieved. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Organic compounds KW - Polymers KW - Materials PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565276 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.2c01227 SN - 1528-7483 SP - 1 EP - 5 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-56527 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ravi, J. A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Mondal, A. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Reddy, C. M. A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Chandrasekar, R. T1 - Plastically bendable organic crystals for monolithic and hybrid micro-optical circuits JF - Advanced optical materials N2 - Fluorescent plastically bendable crystals are a promising alternative to silicon-based materials for fabricating photonic integrated circuits, owing to their optical attributes and mechanical compliance. Mechanically bendable plastic organic crystals are rare. Their formation requires anisotropic intermolecular interactions and slip planes in the crystal lattice. This work presents three fluorescent plastically bendable crystalline materials namely, 2-((E)-(6-methylpyridin-2-ylimino)methyl)-4-chlorophenol (SB1), 2-((E)-(6-methylpyridin-2-ylimino)methyl)-4-bromophenol (SB2), and 2-((E)-(6-Bromopyridin-2-ylimino)methyl)-4-bromophenol (SB3) molecules. The crystal plasticity in response to mechanical stress facilitates the fabrication of various monolithic and hybrid (with a tip-to-tip coupling) photonic circuits using mechanical micromanipulation with an atomic force microscope cantilever tip. These plastically bendable crystals act as active (self-guiding of fluorescence) and passive waveguides both in straight and extremely bent (U-, J-, and O-shaped) geometries. These microcircuits use active and passive waveguiding principles and reabsorbance and energy-transfer mechanisms for their operation, allowing input-selective and direction-specific signal transduction. KW - Flexible crystals KW - Flexible waveguide PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-565302 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202201518 SN - 2195-1071 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-56530 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Time-Resolved InSitu Monitoring of Mechanochemical Reactions JF - Angewandte Chemie International Edition N2 - Mechanochemical transformations offer environmentally benign synthesis routes, whilst enhancing both the speed and selec-tivity of reactions. In this light, mechanochemistry promises to trans-form the way in which chemistry is done in both academia and indus-try but is greatly hindered by a current lack in mechanistic understand-ing. The continued development and use of time-resolved in situ(TRIS) approaches to monitor mechanochemical reactions provides a new dimension to elucidatethese fascinating transformations. We here discuss recent trends in method development that have pushed the boundaries of mechanochemical research. New features of mech-anochemical reactions obtained by TRIS techniques are subse-quently discussed, shedding light on how different TRISapproaches have beenused. Emphasis is placed on the strength of combining complementary techniques. Finally, we outline our views for the po-tential of TRIS methods in mechanochemical research, towards es-tablishing a new, environmentally benign paradigm in the chemical sciences KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Material synthesis KW - Green chemistry PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202117270 SN - 1433-7851 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-54321 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - McMonagle, C. J. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Chernyshov, D. T1 - FOX-7 high-energy-density material: Thermal expansion and phase transitions revisited JF - Acta crystallographica B N2 - Variable-temperature single-crystal diffraction experiments treated with the Gandolfi method reveal the detailed temperature evolution of the unit-cell dimensions, structural transformations and the phase co-existence of the energetic material FOX-7. Two first-order phase transitions are observed accompanied by abrupt changes in volume and unit-cell dimensions. The thermal expansion is found to be linear for all three phases, albeit highly anisotropic. Moreover, the experimental thermal expansion coefficients differ from those predicted from literature atomistic simulations. KW - Energetic materials KW - Thermal expansion KW - Gandolfi method KW - Phase transition KW - Variable temperature PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1107/S2052520621013299 SN - 2052-5206 VL - 78 IS - 1 SP - 91 EP - 95 PB - Wiley-Blackwell CY - Oxford AN - OPUS4-54286 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Belenguer, A A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Lampronti, G A1 - Sanders, J T1 - Using solid catalysts in disulfide-based dynamic combinatorial solution- and mechano-chemistry JF - Chemistry Sustainable Chemistry N2 - We here show for the first time that solid amines can act as catalysts for disulfide-based dynamic combinatorial chemistry by ball mill grinding. The mechanochemical Equilibrium for the two disulfide reactions studied is reached within one to three hours using ten different amine catalysts. This contrasts with the weeks to months to achieve solution equilibrium for most solid amine catalysts at 2%M at 2mM concentration in a suitable solvent. The final mechanochemical equilibrium is independent of the catalyst used, but varies with other ball mill grinding factors such as the presence of traces of solvent. The different efficiencies of the amines tested are discussed. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Green chemistry KW - Catalysis PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202102416 SN - 1864-5631 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Wiley AN - OPUS4-53930 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linberg, Kevin A1 - Röder, Bettina A1 - Al-Sabbagh, Dominik A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - Controlling polymorphism in molecular cocrystals by variable temperature ball milling JF - Faraday Discussions N2 - Mechanochemistry offers a unique opportunity to modify and manipulate crystal forms, often providing new products as compared with conventional solution methods. While promising, there is little known about how to control the solid form through mechanochemical means, demanding dedicated investigations. Using a model organic cocrystal system (isonicotinamide:glutaric acid), we here demonstrate that with mechanochemistry, polymorphism can be induced in molecular solids under conditions seemingly different to their conventional thermodynamic (thermal) transition point. Whereas Form II converts to Form I upon heating to 363 K, the same transition can be initiated under ball milling conditions at markedly lower temperatures (348 K). Our results indicate that mechanochemical techniques can help to reduce the energy barriers to solid form transitions, offering new insights into controlling polymorphic forms. Moreover, our results suggest that the nature of mechanochemical transformations could make it difficult to interpret mechanochemical solid form landscapes using conventional equilibrium-based tools. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Kinetics KW - In situ PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-558878 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00115b SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-55887 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - The Mechanochemical Excitation of Crystalline LiN3 JF - Faraday Discussions N2 - Mechanochemical reactions are driven by the direct absorption of mechanical energy by a solid (often crystalline) material. Understanding how this energy is absorbed and ultimately causes a chemical transformation is essential for understanding the elementary stages of mechanochemical transformations. Using as a model system the energetic material LiN3 we here consider how vibrational energy flows through the crystal structure. By considering the compression response of the crystalline material we identify the partitioning of energy into an initial vibrational excitation. Subsequent energy flow is based on concepts of phonon–phonon scattering, which we calculate within a quasi-equilibrium model facilitated by phonon scattering data obtained from Density Functional Theory (DFT). Using this model we demonstrate how the moments (picoseconds) immediately following mechanical impact lead to significant thermal excitation of crystalline LiN3, sufficient to drive marked changes in its electronic structure and hence chemical reactivity. This work paves the way towards an ab initio approach to studying elementary processes in mechanochemical reactions involving crystalline solids. KW - Energetic materials KW - Ab initio simulation KW - DFT KW - Mechanochemistry PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-559310 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00112h SP - 1 EP - 20 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-55931 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mazzeo, P A1 - Lampronti, G A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Belenguer, A A1 - Bacchi, A A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Accurate extrinsic and intrinsic peak broadening modelling for time-resolved in situ ball milling reactions via synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction JF - Faraday Discussions N2 - The debate on the mechanisms which underpin mechanochemical reactions via ball mill grinding is still open. Our ability to accurately measure the microstructural (crystal size and microstrain) evolution of materials under milling conditions as well as their phase composition as a function of time is key to the in-depth understanding of the kinetics and driving forces of mechanochemical transformations. Furthermore, all ball milling reactions end with a steady state or milling equilibrium – represented by a specific phase composition and relative microstructure – that does not change as long as the milling conditions are maintained. The use of a standard sample is essential to determine the instrumental contribution to the X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) peak broadening for time-resolved in situ (TRIS) monitoring of mechanochemical reactions under in operando conditions. Using TRIS-XRPD on a ball milling setup, coupled with low-energy synchrotron radiation, we investigated different data acquisition and analysis strategies on a silicon standard powder. The diffraction geometry and the microstructural evolution of the standard itself have been studied to model the instrumental contribution to XRPD peak broadening throughout the grinding activity. Previously proposed functions are here challenged and further developed. Importantly, we show that minor drifts of the jar position do not affect the instrumental resolution function significantly. We here report and discuss the results of such investigations and their application to TRIS-XRPD datasets of inorganic and organic ball mill grinding reactions. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - In situ diffraction KW - Synchrotron radiation KW - Sustainable chemisry PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2fd00104g SP - 1 EP - 17 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-55932 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Schröder, V. A1 - List-Kratochvil, E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit T1 - Elastic Flexibility in an Optically Active Naphthalidenimine-Based Single Crystal JF - Crystals N2 - Organic single crystals that combine mechanical flexibility and optical properties are important for developing flexible optical devices, but examples of such crystals remain scarce. Both mechanical flexibility and optical activity depend on the underlying crystal packing and the nature of the intermolecular interactions present in the solid state. Hence, both properties can be expected to be tunable by small chemical modifications to the organic molecule. By incorporating a chlorine atom, a reportedly mechanically flexible crystal of (E)-1-(4-bromo-phenyl)iminomethyl-2-hydroxylnaphthalene (BPIN) produces (E)-1-(4-bromo-2-chloro-phenyl)iminomethyl-2-hydroxyl-naphthalene (BCPIN). BCPIN crystals show elastic bending similar to BPIN upon mechanical stress, but exhibit a remarkable difference in their optical properties as a result of the chemical modification to the backbone of the organic molecule. This work thus demonstrates that the optical properties and mechanical flexibility of molecular materials can, in principle, be tuned independently. KW - Elastic Crystal PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-539040 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst11111397 VL - 11 IS - 11 SP - 1397 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-53904 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Liu, X. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Pulham, C. T1 - High-pressure reversibility in a plastically flexible coordination polymer crystal JF - Nature Communications N2 - Single crystals which exhibit mechanical flexibility are promising materials for advanced technological applications. Before such materials can be used, a detailed understanding of the mechanisms of bending is needed. Using single crystal X-ray diffraction and microfocus Raman spectroscopy, we study in atomic detail the high-pressure response of the plastically flexible coordination polymer [Zn(μ-Cl)2(3,5-dichloropyridine)2]n (1). Contradictory to three-point bending, quasi-hydrostatic compression of (1) is completely reversible, even following compression to over 9 GPa. A structural phase transition is observed at ca. 5 GPa. DFT calculations show this transition to result from the pressure-induced softening of low-frequency vibrations. This phase transition is not observed during three-point-bending. Microfocus synchrotron X-ray diffraction revealed that bending yields significant mosaicity, as opposed to compression. Hence, our studies indicate of overall disparate mechanical responses of bulk flexibility and quasi-hydrostatic compression within the same crystal lattice. We suspect this to be a general feature of plastically bendable materials. KW - High pressure KW - Density functional theory KW - Mechanically flexible crystals PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530360 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24165-x VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 3871 AN - OPUS4-53036 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Christopher, I A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Pulham, C. A1 - Morrison, C. T1 - Towards Computational Screening for New Energetic Molecules: Calculation of Heat of Formation and Determination of Bond Strengths by Local Mode Analysis JF - Frontiers in Chemistry N2 - The reliable determination of gas-phase and solid-state heats of formation are important considerations in energetic materials research. Herein, the ability of PM7 to calculate the gas-phase heats of formation for CNHO-only and inorganic compounds has been critically evaluated, and for the former, comparisons drawn with isodesmic equations and Atom equivalence methods. Routes to obtain solid-state heats of formation for a range of singlecomponent molecular solids, salts, and co-crystals were also evaluated. Finally, local vibrational mode analysis has been used to calculate bond length/force constant curves for seven different chemical bonds occurring in CHNO-containing molecules, which allow for rapid identification of the weakest bond, opening up great potential to rationalise decomposition pathways. Both metrics are important tools in rationalising the design of new energetic materials through computational screening processes. KW - Energetic materials KW - Density functional theory PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-530371 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.726357 VL - 9 SP - 726357 AN - OPUS4-53037 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lampronti, G. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Mazzeo, P. A1 - Belenguer, Ana A1 - Sanders, J. K. M. A1 - Bacchi, A. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Changing the game of time resolved X-ray diffraction on the mechanochemistry playground by downsizing JF - Nature Communications N2 - Time resolved in situ (TRIS) monitoring has revolutionised the study of mechanochemical transformations but has been limited by available data quality. Here we report how a combination of miniaturised grinding jars together with innovations in X-ray powder diffraction data collection and state-of-the-art analysis strategies transform the power of TRIS synchrotron mechanochemical experiments. Accurate phase compositions, comparable to those obtained by ex situ measurements, can be obtained with small sample loadings. Moreover, microstructural parameters (crystal size and microstrain) can be also determined with high confidence. This strategy applies to all chemistries, is readily implemented, and yields high-quality diffraction data even using a low energy synchrotron source. This offers a direct avenue towards the mechanochemical investigation of reactions comprising scarce, expensive, or toxic compounds. Our strategy is applied to model systems, including inorganic, metal-organic, and organic mechanosyntheses, resolves previously misinterpreted mechanisms in mechanochemical syntheses, and promises broad, new directions for mechanochemical research. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Synchrotron radiation KW - Material synthesis PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-535932 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-26264-1 SN - 2041-1723 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Nature Publishing Group CY - London AN - OPUS4-53593 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Rudic, S. A1 - Pulham, C. A1 - Morrison, C. T1 - Predicting the impact sensitivity of a polymorphic high explosive: the curious case of FOX-7 JF - Chemical Communications N2 - The impact sensitivity (IS) of FOX-7 polymorphs is predicted by phonon up-pumping to decrease as layers of FOX-7 molecules flatten. Experimental validation proved anomalous owing to a phase transition during testing, raising questions regarding Impact sensitivity measurement and highlighting the need for models to predict IS of polymorphic energetic materials. KW - Energetic materials KW - Density functional theory KW - Inelastic Neutron Scattering Spectroscopy KW - Impact Sensitivity PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-535558 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1cc03906g SN - 1364-548X VL - 57 IS - 85 SP - 11213 EP - 11216 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-53555 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Hemingway, J. A1 - Morrison, C. T1 - Predicting the Impact Sensitivities of Energetic Materials through Zone-Center Phonon Up-Pumping JF - Journal of Chemical Physics N2 - The development of new energetic materials (EMs) is accompanied by significant hazards, prompting interest in their computational design. Before reliable in silico design strategies can be realized, however, approaches to understand and predict EM response to mechanical impact must be developed. We present here a fully ab initio model based in phonon up-pumping which successfully ranks the relative impact sensitivity of a series of organic EMs. The methodology depends only on the crystallographic unit cell and Brillouin zone center vibrational frequencies. We therefore expect this approach to become an integral tool in the large-scale screening of potential EMs. KW - Energetic materials KW - Ab initio simulation PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0036927 VL - 154 IS - 6 SP - 064105 AN - OPUS4-52146 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Rhim, S.-Y. A1 - Schöder, V. A1 - List-Kratochvil, E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Tuning the mechanical flexibility of organic molecular crystals by polymorphism for flexible optical waveguides JF - CrystEngComm N2 - The ability to selectively tune the optical and the mechanical properties of organic molecular crystals offers a promising approach towards developing flexible optical devices. These functional properties are sensitive to crystallographic packing features and are hence expected to vary with polymorphic modification. Using as a model system the photoluminescent material 4-bromo-6-[(6-chloropyridin-2-ylimino)methyl]phenol (CPMBP), we herein demonstrate the simultaneous tuning of mechanical flexibility and photoluminescence properties via polymorphism. Two new polymorphic forms of CPMBP were obtained from a solution and fully characterised using a combination of experiments and density functional theory simulations. These polymorphic forms exhibit remarkably distinct mechanical properties and an order of magnitude difference in photoluminescence quantum yield. The mechanically plastic form has a higher quantum yield than the brittle polymorphic form. However, their photoluminescence emission profile is largely unaffected by the observed polymorphism, thereby demonstrating that the optical properties and bulk mechanical properties can in principle be tuned independently. By distinguishing between active (involving absorption and emission) and passive (involving no absorption) light propagation, the waveguiding properties of the plastic form of CPMBP (form II) were explored using the straight and bent crystals to highlight the potential applications of CPMBP in designing flexible optical devices. Our results demonstrated that polymorph engineering would be a promising avenue to achieve concurrent modulation of the optical and mechanical properties of photoluminescent molecular crystals for next-generation flexible optical device applications. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Flexible PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-532075 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ce00642h VL - 23 IS - 34 SP - 5815 EP - 5825 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry CY - London AN - OPUS4-53207 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Boldyreva, E. A1 - Belenguer, A. M. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska A1 - Boldyrev, V. V. T1 - Tribochemistry, mechanical alloying, mechanochemistry: what is in a name? JF - Frontiers in chemistry N2 - 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 mechanochemistry community. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Tribochemistry KW - Mechanical alloying KW - Tribology KW - Mechanical activation KW - Nomenclature KW - Mechanochemical pictographs PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-523291 DO - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2021.685789 SN - 2296-2646 VL - 9 SP - 1 EP - 29 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne AN - OPUS4-52329 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tantardini, C. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Samtsevich, A. A1 - Rota, C. A1 - Kvashnin, A. G. T1 - The Volumetric Source Function: Looking Inside van der Waals Interactions JF - Scientific Reports N2 - The study of van der Waals interactions plays a central role in the understanding of bonding across a range of biological, chemical and physical phenomena. The presence of van der Waals interactions can be identified through analysis of the reduced density gradient, a fundamental parameter at the core of Density Functional Theory. An extension of Bader’s Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules is developed here through combination with the analysis of the reduced density gradient. Through this development, a new quantum chemical topological tool is presented: the volumetric source function. This technique allows insight into the atomic composition of van der Waals interactions, offering the first route towards applying the highly successful source function to these disperse interactions. A new algorithm has been implemented in the open-source code, CRITIC2, and tested on acetone, adipic and maleic acids molecular crystals, each stabilized by van der Waals interactions. This novel technique for studying van der Waals interactions at an atomic level offers unprecedented opportunities in the fundamental study of intermolecular interactions and molecular design for crystal engineering, drug design and bio-macromolecular processes. KW - Noncovalent interactions PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-507911 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-64261-4 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 7816 AN - OPUS4-50791 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kervarec, M.-C. A1 - Kemnitz, E. A1 - Scholz, G. A1 - Rudic, S. A1 - Jäger, Christian A1 - Braun, T. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - A HF Loaded Lewis-Acidic Aluminium Chlorofluoride for Hydrofluorination Reactions JF - Chemistry A European Journal N2 - The very strong Lewis acid aluminium chlorofluo-ride (ACF) was loaded with anhydrous HF. The interactionbetween the surface of the catalyst and HF was investigatedusing a variety of characterization methods, which revealed he formation of polyfluorides. Moreover, the reactivity ofthe HF-loaded ACF towards the hydrofluorination of alkyneswas studied. KW - Aluminium KW - HF KW - Hydrofluorination KW - Metal fluorides PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-508360 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202001627 VL - 26 SP - 1 PB - Wiley Online Libary AN - OPUS4-50836 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Silbernagl, Dorothee A1 - Rautenberg, Max A1 - Schmid, Thomas A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Reimann, K. A1 - Ghalgaoui, A. A1 - Sturm, Heinz A1 - Paulus, B. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - A Mechanistic Perspective on Plastically Flexible Coordination Polymers JF - Angewandte Chemie N2 - Mechanical flexibility in single crystals of covalently bound materials is a fascinating and poorly understood phenomenon. We present here the first example of a plastically flexible one-dimensional (1D) coordination polymer. The compound [Zn(m-Cl)2(3,5-dichloropyridine)2]n is flexible over two crystallographic faces. Remarkably, the single crystal remains intact when bent to 1808. A combination of microscopy, diffraction, and spectroscopic studies have been used to probe the structural response of the crystal lattice to mechanical bending. Deformation of the covalent polymer chains does not appear to be responsible for the observed macroscopic bending. Instead, our results suggest that mechanical bending occurs by displacement of the coordination polymer chains. Based on experimental and theoretical evidence, we propose a new model for mechanical flexibility in 1D coordination polymers. Moreover, our calculations propose a cause of the different mechanical properties of this compound and a structurally similar elastic material KW - Coordination polymer KW - Flexible crystals KW - Mechanical properties KW - Plastic deformation PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-504755 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201914798 VL - 59 IS - 14 SP - 5557 EP - 5561 PB - Wiley-VCH AN - OPUS4-50475 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Bhattacharya, Biswajit A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Schröder, V. A1 - List-Kratochvil, E. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Mechanochemical Syntheses of Isostructural Luminescent Cocrystals of 9-Anthracenecarboxylic Acid with two Dipyridines Coformers JF - Crystals N2 - Tuning and controlling the solid-state photophysical properties of organic luminophore are very important to develop next-generation organic luminescent materials. With the aim of discovering new functional luminescent materials, new cocrystals of 9-anthracene carboxylic acid (ACA) were prepared with two different dipyridine coformers: 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethylene and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane. The cocrystals were successfully obtained by both mechanochemical approaches and conventional solvent crystallization. The newly obtained crystalline solids were characterized thoroughly using a combination of single crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential thermal analysis, and thermogravimetric analysis. Structural analysis revealed that the cocrystals are isostructural, exhibiting two-fold interpenetrated hydrogen bonded networks. While the O–H···N hydrogen bonds adopts a primary role in the stabilization of the cocrystal phases, the C–H···O hydrogen bonding interactions appear to play a significant role in guiding the three-dimensional assembly. Both π···π and C–H···π interactions assist in stabilizing the interpenetrated structure. The photoluminescence properties of both the starting materials and cocrystals were examined in their solid states. All the cocrystals display tunable photophysical properties as compared to pure ACA. Density functional theory simulations suggest that the modified optical properties result from charge transfers between the ACA and coformer molecules in each case. This study demonstrates the potential of crystal engineering to design solid-state luminescence switching materials through cocrystallization. KW - Cocrystal KW - Mechanochemical synthesis KW - Luminescence KW - X-ray diffraction KW - DFT calculation PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-518226 DO - https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst10100889 VL - 10 IS - 10 SP - 889 PB - MDPI AN - OPUS4-51822 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Olivera, Paulo A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Marquardt, Julien A1 - Feiler, Torvid A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Torresi, R. A1 - Camargo, P. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Investigating the role of reducing agents on mechanosynthesis of Au nanoparticles JF - CrystEngComm N2 - Control over the bottom up synthesis of metal nanoparticles (NP) depends on many experimental factors, including the choice of stabilising and reducing agents. By selectively manipulating these species, it is possible to control NP characteristics through solution-phase synthesis strategies. It is not known, however, whether NPs produced from mechanochemical syntheses are governed by the same rules. Using the Au NPs mechanosynthesis as a model system, we investigate how a series of common reducing agents affect both the reduction kinetics and size of Au NPs. It is shown that the relative effects of reducing agents on mechanochemical NP synthesis differ significantly from their role in analogous solution-phase reactions. Hence, strategies developed for control over NP growth in solution are not directly transferrable to environmentally benign mechanochemical approaches. This work demonstrates a clear need for dedicated, systematic studies on NP mechanosynthesis. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Metal nanoparicels PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0ce00826e VL - 22 IS - 38 SP - 6261 EP - 6267 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-51757 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - de Olivera, Paulo A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - de Oliveira Guilherme Buzanich, Ana A1 - Bienert, Ralf A1 - Torresi, R. A1 - Camargo, P. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Tandem X-ray absorption spectroscopy and scattering for in situ time-resolved monitoring of gold nanoparticle mechanosynthesis JF - ChemComm N2 - Current time-resolved in situ approaches limit the scope of mechanochemical investigations possible. Here we develop a new, general approach to simultaneously follow the evolution of bulk atomic and electronic structure during a mechanochemical synthesis. This is achieved by coupling two complementary synchrotron-based X-ray methods: X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray diffraction. We apply this method to investigate the bottom-up mechanosynthesis of technologically important Au micro and nanoparticles in the presence of three different reducing agents, hydroquinone, sodium citrate, and NaBH4. Moreover, we show how XAS offers new insight into the early stage generation of growth species (e.g. monomers and clusters), which lead to the subsequent formation of nanoparticles. These processes are beyond the detection capabilities of diffraction methods. This combined X-ray approach paves the way to new directions in mechanochemical research of advanced electronic materials. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - XANES KW - X-ray diffraction KW - Nano particles PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0cc03862h SN - 1364-548X VL - 56 SP - 10329 EP - 10332 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-51760 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Haferkamp, Sebastian A1 - Paul, Andrea A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Unexpected polymorphism during a catalyzed mechanochemical Knoevenagel condensation JF - Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry N2 - The transformation of a base-catalyzed, mechano-assisted Knoevenagel condensation of mono-fluorinated benzaldehyde derivatives (p-, m-, o-benzaldehyde) with malonodinitrile was investigated in situ and in real time. Upon milling, the para-substituted product was found to crystallize initially into two different polymorphic forms, depending on the quantity of catalyst used. For low catalyst concentrations, a mechanically metastable phase (monoclinic) was initially formed, converting to the mechanically stable phase (triclinic) upon further grinding. Instead, higher catalyst concentrations crystallize directly as the triclinic product. Inclusion of catalyst in the final product, as evidenced by mass spectrometric analysis, suggests this complex polymorphic pathway may be due to seeding effects. Multivariate analysis for the in situ Raman spectra supports this complex formation pathway, and offers a new approach to monitoring multi-phase reactions during ball milling. KW - Ball milling KW - C-C coupling KW - In situ KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Multivariate data analysis PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-481872 DO - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.15.110 SN - 1860-5397 VL - 15 SP - 1141 EP - 1148 PB - Beilstein Insitut CY - Frankfurt am Main AN - OPUS4-48187 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Linberg, Kevin A1 - Ali, Naveed Zafar A1 - Etter, M. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Rademann, K. A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - A Comparative Study of the Ionic Cocrystals NaX (α-d-Glucose)2 (X = Cl, Br, I) JF - Crystal growth & design N2 - The mechanochemical formation of the ionic cocrystals of glucose (Glc) and sodium salts Glc2NaCl·H2O (1) and Glc2NaX (X = Br (2), I (3)) is presented. Products are formed by co-milling Glc with three sodium salts (NaCl, NaBr, NaI). The ionic cocrystals were obtained under both neat grinding and liquid-assisted grinding conditions, the later found to accelerate the reaction kinetics. The crystal structures of the ionic cocrystals (2) and (3) were solved from powder X-ray diffraction data. The structure solution contrasts with the structure of Glc2NaCl·H2O (1) where the electron density at three halide crystallographic sites is modeled as of being the intermediate between water molecule and a chloride ion. The reaction pathways of the three ionic cocrystals were investigated in real time using our tandem approach comprising a combination of in situ synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate the rapid formation of each cocrystal directly from their respective starting materials without any intermediate moiety formation. The products were further characterized by DTA-TG and elemental analysis. KW - In situ KW - Co-crystal KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Glucose PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.cgd.8b01929 VL - 19 IS - 8 SP - 4293 EP - 4299 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-48781 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Trestman, M. A1 - Rudic, S. A1 - Portius, P. A1 - Fincham, P. A1 - Pulham, C. A1 - Morrison, C. T1 - Predicting the reactivity of energetic materials: an ab initio multi-phonon approach JF - Journal of Materials Chemistry A N2 - The ease with which an energetic material (explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics) can be initiated is a critical parameter to assess their safety and application. Impact sensitivity parameters are traditionally derived experimentally, at great cost and risk to safety. In this work we explore a fully ab initio Approach based on concepts of vibrational energy transfer to predict impact sensitivities for a series of chemically, structurally and energetically diverse molecular materials. The quality of DFT calculations is assessed for a subset of the materials by comparison with experimental inelastic neutron scattering spectra (INS). A variety of models are considered, including both qualitative and quantitative analysis of the vibrational spectra. Excellent agreement against experimental impact sensitivity is achieved by consideration of a multi-phonon ladder-type up-pumping mechanism that includes both overtone and combination pathways, and is improved further by the added consideration of temperature. This fully ab initio approach not only permits ranking of energetic materials in terms of their impact sensitivity but also provides a tool to guide the targeted design of advanced energetic compounds with tailored properties. KW - Energetic Materials KW - Prediction KW - Density Functional Theory PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-489328 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ta06209b VL - 7 IS - 33 SP - 19539 EP - 19553 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-48932 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kulla, Hannes A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Emmerling, Franziska T1 - Manipulating the dynamics of mechanochemical ternary cocrystal formation JF - ChemComm N2 - The mechanism of ternary cocrystal formation, and the potential role of intermediate binary phases, has been debated for some time. We report here the first in situ real-time monitoring of two prototypic ternary cocrystals. Our results suggest that the question is more complicated than previously considered. The mechanism of mechanochemical ternary cocrystal formation depends on the milling conditions, here the milling frequency and addition of liquid. Binary phases can form under certain conditions, but do not act as intermediates in the formation of the ternary cocrystals. Rather, binary phases are competitive with the ternary phase, and their formation appears to compete with that of the ternary components. The presence of binary phases leads to an increase in the overall reaction time. The results reported here offer the first insights into the true complexities of mechanochemical multi-component synthesis of higher order multi-component crystals and demonstrate a new understanding of the influence of milling condition for the study of mechanisms and kinetics. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - In situ KW - Cocrystal PY - 2019 UR - https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlepdf/2019/cc/c9cc03034d DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9cc03034d SN - 1364-548X VL - 55 IS - 66 SP - 9793 EP - 9796 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-48613 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Belenguer, A. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam A1 - Lampronti, G A1 - Sanders, J T1 - Understanding the unexpected effect of frequency on the kinetics of a covalent reaction under ball-milling conditions JF - Beilstein journal of organic chemistry N2 - We here explore how ball-mill-grinding frequency affects the kinetics of a disulfide exchange reaction. Our kinetic data show that the reaction progress is similar at all the frequencies studied (15–30 Hz), including a significant induction time before the nucleation and growth process starts. This indicates that to start the reaction an initial energy accumulation is necessary. Other than mixing, the energy supplied by the mechanical treatment has two effects: (i) reducing the crystal size and (ii) creating defects in the structure. The crystal-breaking process is likely to be dominant at first becoming less important later in the process when the energy supplied is stored at the molecular level as local crystal defects. This accumulation is taken here to be the rate-determining step. We suggest that the local defects accumulate preferentially at or near the crystal surface. Since the total area increases exponentially when the crystal size is reduced by the crystal-breaking process, this can further explain the exponential dependence of the onset time on the milling frequency. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - Kinetics KW - Diffraction PY - 2019 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-483361 DO - https://doi.org/10.3762/bjoc.15.120 SN - 2195-951X VL - 15 SP - 1226 EP - 1235 PB - Beilstein-Institut zur Förderung der Chemischen Wissenschaften CY - Frankfurt, M. AN - OPUS4-48336 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tumanov, I. A1 - Tumanov, E. A1 - Michalchuk, Adam T1 - Ball size or ball mass – what matters in organic mechanochemical synthesis? JF - CrystEngComm N2 - Ball mass is an important parameter that is known to have an influence on the outcome of a mechanochemical reaction induced by ball-milling. A standard way of modifying the ball mass is to change the size of the ball made of the same material. In this case, however, a change in mass is accompanied by a simulatneous change in the ball size. It is therefore not possible to disentangle the effects of mass and Surface area in these cases. In the present work we report the results of experiments with specially designed and manufactured balls in which (1) milling ball mass is held constant, but their size differs, and (2) the ball mass is altered, with the diameter of the milling ball being held constant. Using the cocrystallisation of theophylline + nicotinamide as a case study it was found that both diameter and ball mass play crucial roles in determining the rate of a mechanochemical reaction. For comparison, we have also used milling balls with the same size (different mass), and others with the same mass (different size) made of different materials, as would be “traditional”. It was found that, despite having the same size, the lightest milling ball (nylon) was the most efficient in initiating the co-crystallisation, presumably due to the sorption of EtOH. Hence, the results of this manuscript also demonstrate how milling ball material can in fact be the most influential parameter, and potentially counterintuitive to classical mechanics. KW - Mechanochemistry KW - XRD PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/0.1039/c8ce02109k VL - 21 SP - 2174 EP - 2179 PB - RSC Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-47851 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -