Department of Physics Seminar Series

In situ kinetics monitoring of mechanochemical reactions in ball mills using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction

Dr. Silvina Pagola

Known since antiquity, mechanochemistry lay dormant for centuries. Today, it is a flourishing field producing rich data and often surprising observations, alongside scientific analysis, where interdisciplinary expertise is essential. Its use as a synthetic method is increasing, yet it remains far from fully explored or fundamentally understood. Mechanochemical mechanisms remain unclear, and experimental methods for their study are still evolving.

This presentation introduces mechanochemistry and highlights the advantages of mechanochemical reactions, which simplify and “green” conventional solution thermochemistry. Recent advances, including in situ kinetics monitoring using synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, together with computational approaches such as quantum mechanochemistry, will be discussed. Recent research results from Old Dominion University on mechanochemical kinetics and mechanisms in ball mills will be summarized.