Grinding of mixture under mild condition for mechanochemical complexation

In contrast to the development of grinding equipment toward higher energy density for the purpose of finest comminution and mechanical activation, mechanochemical complex formation processes were found to take place under quite mild conditions, provided the system contains hydroxyl groups. Two kinds of systems, containing (i) alkali earth hydroxides and SiO2 and (ii) two hydrogels with Ti, Zn, Al or Pb as metallic species, were studied. Rapid complexation was enhanced by the presence of extraordinarily polarized hydroxyl groups, due to structural imperfections of the hydroxyl supporting substrates. Such mechanochemical reactions could be categorized as soft, and will have a potential application for the synthesis of advanced materials.