Reactive Chemicals Research Articles

Role of Micronized PTFE Powders as Performance Additives in Meeting the Industrial Demands of Greases

Growth on demand and economics in some industrial segments like transport, mining, food and agriculture industries witnesses high level of automation and mechanized equipment’s. To meet the expectations of automation, zero break down and fill for life, lubricants formulators have to look for alternate additives/products to meet the ever growing performance requirements. Additives used conventionally for improving the anti-wear and extreme pressure (EP) properties are sulphur-phosphorous, molybdenum disulphide in grease formulations are reactive chemicals, have some limitations in segments like food and agriculture. Micronized PTFE powders due to their excellent slip and load bearing properties play crucial role in meeting the greases requirements both in EP greases and complex greases. Micronized PTFE powders of low molecular weight manufactured in the country which is an excellent additive for many applications including as EP additives in grease applications. In the current study, micronized PTFE powders obtained from E- Beam irradiation were fortified with grease and the synergistic effects with other EP additives in various types of grease were studied and its advantages over other EP additives are discussed and the advantages are highlighted as an alternate source of performance up grader for grease for the formulators and industrial users.

QSAR for baseline toxicity and classification of specific modes of action of ionizable organic chemicals in the zebrafish embryo toxicity test

The fish embryo toxicity (FET) test with the zebrafish Danio rerio is widely used to assess the acute toxicity of chemicals thereby serving as animal alternative to the acute fish toxicity test. The minimal toxicity of neutral chemicals in the FET can be predicted with a previously published Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR) based on the liposome-water partition coefficient Klipw. Such a QSAR may serve to plan toxicity testing and to evaluate whether an observed effect is caused by a specific mode of action (MoA). The applicability domain of this QSAR was extended to ionizable organic chemicals (IOC) without any modification of slope and intercept simply by replacing the Klipw with the speciation-corrected liposome-water distribution ratio (Dlipw(pH)) as descriptor for the uptake into the embryo. FET LC50 values of IOCs were extracted from an existing FET database and published literature. IOCs were selected that are present concomitantly as neutral and charged, species, i.e., acids with an acidity constant pKa <10 and bases with pKa>5. IOCs were grouped according to their putative MoA of acute aquatic toxicity. The toxic ratios (TR) in the FET were derived by of the experimental FET-LC50 in comparison with the baseline toxicity QSAR. Baseline toxicants were confirmed to align well with the FET baseline toxicity QSAR (TR < 10). Chemicals identified to act as specific or reactive chemicals with the toxic ratio analysis in the FET test (TR > 10) were generally consistent with MoA classification for acute fish toxicity with a few exceptions that were suspected to have had issues with the stability of the pH during testing. One critical aspect for the effect analysis of ionizable chemicals is the pH, since the difference between pH and pKa determines the speciation and thereby the Dlipw(pH).

Penetration model for chemical reactivation for resin-embedded green fluorescent protein imaging.

.In the so-called surface microscopy, serial block-face imaging is combined with mechanic sectioning to obtain volumetric imaging. While mapping a resin-embedded green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled specimen, it has been recently reported that an alkaline buffer is used to chemically reactivate the protonated GFP molecules, and thus improve the signal-to-noise ratio. In such a procedure, the image quality is highly affected by the penetration rate of a solution. We propose a reliable penetration model to describe the penetration process of the solution into the resin. The experimental results are consistent with the parameters predicted using this model. Thus, this model provides a valuable theoretical explanation and aids in optimizing the system parameters for mapping resin-embedded GFP biological samples.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis: A fibrosing alveolitis produced by inhalation of diverse antigens

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is a TH1 lymphocyte-biased fibrosing alveolitis caused by antigens ranging from avian excreta, fungi, thermophilic bacteria, and protozoa to reactive chemicals found in the workplace. Mimicking a viral syndrome, acute exposures to inciting antigens cause abrupt onset of nonproductive cough, dyspnea, and chills with arthralgias or malaise usually from 4 to 8hours later so that the temporal relationship between antigen exposure and symptoms might be unsuspected. The histology of HP reveals prominent lymphocyte infiltrates that thicken the alveolar septa with poorly formed granulomas or giant cells. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid demonstrates greater than 20% lymphocytes in nearly all patients. Abnormalities on high-resolution computed tomographic examinations range from nodular centrilobular opacities in acute/subacute disease to increased reticular markings and honeycombing fibrosis, which typically are predominant in the upper lobes, in patients with advanced disease. Descriptors include "mosaic" attenuation and ground-glass opacities. Repeated episodes can result in nodular pulmonary infiltrates and suspected nonspecific interstitial pneumonia or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Clinicians require a high level of suspicion to make an early diagnosis of HP before extensive pulmonary fibrosis or restrictive lung disease has occurred.

Suppression of hERG K+ current and cardiac action potential prolongation by 4-hydroxynonenal via dual mechanisms

Oxidative stress under pathological conditions, such as ischemia/reperfusion and inflammation, results in the production of various reactive chemicals. Of these chemicals, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), a peroxidation product of ω6-polyunsaturated fatty acid, has garnered significant attention. However, the effect of 4-HNE on cardiac electrophysiology has not yet been reported. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 4-HNE on several cardiac ion channels, including human ether-a-go-go-related (hERG) channels, using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. Short-term exposure to 100 μM 4-HNE (4-HNE100S), which mimics local levels under oxidative stress, decreased the amplitudes of rapidly activating delayed rectifier K+ current (IKr) in guinea pig ventricular myocytes (GPVMs) and HEK293T cells overexpressing hERG (IhERG). MS analysis revealed the formation of 4-HNE-hERG adduct on specific amino acid residues, including C276, K595, H70, and H687. Long-term treatment (1–3 h) with 10 μM 4-HNE (4-HNE10L), suppressed IKr and IhERG, but not IKs and ICa,L. Action potential duration (APD) of GPVMs was prolonged by 37% and 64% by 4-HNE100S and 4-HNE10L, respectively. Western blot analysis using surface biotinylation revealed a reduction in mature membrane hERG protein after treatment with 4-HNE10L. Proteasomal degradation inhibitors, such as bortezomib, prevented the 4-HNE10L-induced decrease in mature hERG, suggesting a retrograde degradation of membrane hERG due to 4-HNE. Taken together, 4-HNE100S and 4-HNE10L suppressed IhERG via functional inhibition and downregulation of membrane expression of hERG, respectively. The exposure of 4-HNE under pathological oxidative stress may increase the risk of proarrhythmic events via APD prolongation.

Sonication-assisted reactivation process: A new method to enhance traditional chemical activation technology

Abstract In order to further enhance the adsorption properties of activated carbon fiber, sonication is introduced into the process of activator impregnation on the basis of traditional chemical reactivation technology. The novel process of sonication-assisted chemical reactivation is proposed for the first time in this paper. This novel process probe a new developing route for the surface structure modification of activated carbon fiber, which also provides a new idea to enhance the traditional chemical activation technology. In this study, viscose-based activated carbon fiber is used as research object, and low concentration formaldehyde gas is used as adsorbate. The research of the novel reactivation process is researched by four activators of phosphoric acid, zinc chloride, perhydrol and nitric acid, which commonly used in chemical activation processes of industrial production. The results indicate that the novel reactivation process assisted by sonication has an obvious improvement on the pore volume of micropores and mesopores at the range of 2–5 nm, meanwhile, the content of surface functional groups increase significantly. Besides, formaldehyde adsorption properties enhanced significantly after treated by the novel reactivation process. In particular, the formaldehyde adsorption rate increased by 90.05% when phosphoric acid used as activator.

Systematic investigations of novel validity parameters in urine drug testing and prevalence of urine adulteration in a two-year cohort.

Urinalysis is well established for drug screening. Various methods of urine adulteration such as dilution, addition of oxidative/reductive chemicals or detergents, and handing over urine-like fluids are used to circumvent a positive screen. Validity parameters such as determination of pH, gravidity, urine temperature, or testing for oxidative/reductive chemicals are therefore used to uncover adulterated urine specimens. However, synthetic urine ("fake urine") has nowadays been used for manipulations, leading to inconspicuous results with common validity test systems. Therefore, the aims of the study were (a) to evaluate additional validity parameters, (b) to evaluate the prevalence of urine adulteration, (c) to identify adulteration markers in purchased fake urine samples. Urine samples (n=550) submitted for drug abstinence testing were analyzed by a standard urine liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) screening approach using library-assisted identification of 10 different endogenous biomolecules. The detection rates of biomolecules in authentic samples were phenylalanine (93.4%), tryptophan (97.1%), propionyl-carnitine (67.1%), butyryl-carnitine (99.6%), isovaleryl-carnitine (92.8%), hexanoyl-carnitine (91.0%), heptanoyl-carnitine (97.1%), octanoyl-carnitine (98.9%), and indoleacetylglutamine (98,2%). Phenylacetylglutamine was detected in each authentic sample. Based on the detection rates and measured creatinine levels, six manipulated samples were identified in this study. In two cases, fake urine was handed over, one time fake urine was most likely used for dilution. Once dilution with other fluids was used as adulteration method, while in another sample a detergent solution was handed over. Additionaly, one sample contained reactive chemicals. All fake urine samples were additionally identified by the detection of unique polyglycole patterns, which were observed in purchased fake urine samples.

Catalyst: The Metaphysics of Chemical Reactivity

Leroy (Lee) Cronin has been thinking about programming chemistry since he was 8 years old, when he got his first computer and chemistry set. He is now the Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow. He and his team are trying to make artificial life forms, find alien life, explore the digitization of chemistry, and construct chemical computers. S. Hessam M. Mehr is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow. He earned his PhD at the University of British Columbia (2017). His research focuses on probabilistic and information-theoretic methods in chemistry and the discovery of chemical novelty. Jaroslaw M. Granda is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Glasgow. He obtained his PhD at the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (2014). His research interests focus on the automation of organic synthesis and artificial-intelligence-driven systems for chemical discovery.

Direct electrochemical generation of organic carbonates by dehydrogenative coupling.

Organic carbonates are an important source for polycarbonate synthesis. However, their synthesis generally requires phosgene, sophisticated catalysts, harsh reaction conditions, or other highly reactive chemicals. We present the first direct electrochemical generation of mesityl methyl carbonate by C–H activation. Although this reaction pathway is still challenging concerning scope and efficiency, it outlines a new strategy for carbonate generation.

Toluene diisocyanate exposure and autotaxin–lysophosphatidic acid signalling

Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a reactive chemical used in manufacturing plastics. TDI exposure adversely affects workers' health, causing occupational asthma, but individuals differ in susceptibility. We recently suggested a role for signalling mediated by the enzyme autotaxin (ATX) and its product, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), in TDI toxicity. Here we genotyped 118 TDI-exposed workers for six single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes encoding proteins implicated in ATX–LPA signalling: purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2RX7), CC motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), interleukin 1β (IL1B), and caveolin 1 (CAV1). Two P2RX7 SNPs (rs208294 and rs2230911) significantly modified the associations between a biomarker of TDI exposure (urinary 2,4-toluene diamine) and plasma LPA; two IL1B SNPs (rs16944 and rs1143634) did not. CAV1 rs3807989 modified the associations, but the effect was not statistically significant (p = 0.05–0.09). In vitro, TDI-exposed bronchial epithelial cells (16HBE14o-) rapidly released ATX and IL-1β. P2X7 inhibitors attenuated both responses, but confocal microscopy showed non-overlapping localizations of ATX and IL-1β, and down-regulation of CAV1 inhibited the ATX response but not the IL-1β response. This study indicates that P2X7 is pivotal for TDI-induced ATX–LPA signalling, which was modified by genetic variation in P2RX7. Furthermore, our data suggest that the TDI-induced ATX and IL-1β responses occur independently.

Influence of oxygen on generation of reactive chemicals from nitrogen plasma jet

A nonthermal plasma jet is operated at atmospheric pressure inside a vacuum chamber filled with nitrogen gas. Various chemical compounds are fabricated from nitrogen and water molecules in plasma jet with varying oxygen content. Detailed theoretical investigation of these chemical compounds is carried out in terms of different oxygen ratio ξ. Experimental measurements are also carried out for comparison with theoretical results. Hydroxyl molecules are mostly generated at surface of water, and some of them can penetrate into water. The density of hydroxyl molecules has its maximum without oxygen, and decreases to zero as ξ increases to 0.25. The density of the ammonia of NH3 also deceases as ξ increases to 0.25. On the other hand, theory and experiment show that the density of the NO3 increases drastically as ξ increases to 0.25. The hydrogen peroxide density in plasma activated water deceases, reaches its minimum value at ξ = 0.05, and then increases again, as ξ increases from a small value to a large value. The pH value of the plasma activated water, which is slightly changed to alkali without oxygen, decreases as ξ increases.

Degradation of sulfonamide antibiotics and their intermediates toxicity in an aeration-assisted non-thermal plasma while treating strong wastewater

Aeration-assisted non-thermal plasma (NTP) process is known as promising due to simultaneous generation of oxygen- and nitrogen-based reactive chemicals for non-biodegradable pollutants removal in a wastewater. Despite its effective oxidizing capability, the decomposition mechanism of antibiotics is not yet clarified well. This study verifies the NTP's removal potential of non-biodegradable sulfonamide antibiotics in the treatment of strong wastewater. The instantaneous production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was quantified to prove synergistic advanced oxidation, and degradation kinetic coefficients of N, N-Dimethyl-4-nitrosoaniline (RNO) reveals rapid oxidation rate of NTP. Also, the results of an acute-toxicity test using Daphnia magna demonstrate how the toxicity of antibiotics intermediates responds to the NTP. Results indicate that the NTP has better potential than conventional oxidation processes in terms of OH-radical generation due to the interplay of reactive species. This study provides useful information that aeration-assisted NTP application to wastewater treatment can be a viable option to enhance treatment efficiency via plasma-related reactive species and that how environmental ecotoxicity responds to the by-products of sulfonamide antibiotics.

Abstract 225: Electronic Cigarettes Induced Exacerbation of Atherosclerosis: Contribution of MicroRNA-21

Smoking is the foremost cause of preventable disease and pre-mature deaths. Although the rates of smoking have declined in the recent past, advent of electronic cigarettes (e-cig) pose new challenges. E-cig are extremely popular in youth and usage of e-cig has increased by 9-fold in the youth between 2011 and 2015. E-cig are battery-operated devices used for the delivery of aerosolized nicotine. Unlike conventional cigarettes, e-cig have lower levels of carcinogens. However, aerosolization of e-liquids generates reactive chemicals such as acrolein, which has adverse effects on cardiovascular health. To examine the effect of e-cig on atherosclerosis we exposed 8-week old apoE-KO mice (maintained on Western diet) to filtered air or e-cig (36 mg/ml nicotine aerosolized in glycerol/propylene glycol, 50/50, v/v) for 12 weeks (3 h/day; 7 days a week). Our data show that exposure to e-cig increased the aortic lesion area by 24% (P&lt;0.05), without affecting plasma cholesterol (e-cig 1088±61 vs air 1102±61 mg/dL) and triglyceride (e-cig 95±9 vs air 77±5 mg/dL). Exposure to e-cig also increased the expression of micro RNA-21 (miR-21) in the aorta by 26% (P&lt;0.05). In situ hybridization assay showed that miR-21 co-localizes with macrophages in atherosclerotic plaques. In vitro , e-cig constituents acrolein and nicotine induced the expression of miR-21 by 1.8-2.0 fold, in bone marrow derived macrophages. Similarly, 4,hydroxynonenal (HNE) generated by acrolein and nicotine induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation by 1.3-fold, and increased the expression of miR-21 in macrophages by 2-fold. Exposure to e-cig also activated matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in atherosclerotic plaques. Acrolein activated MMPs ex vivo in atherosclerotic plaques, and increased the secretion of MMP-9 from macrophages. Acrolein-induced ROS formation and MMP-9 secretion was prevented by free radical scavengers. Moreover, we also observed that HNE-induced macrophage apoptosis was significantly increased by miR-21 deficiency. This process was mediated by the activation of both, intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis. Collectively, these data suggest miR-21 prevents e-cig-induced atherogenesis by inhibiting inflammatory and apoptotic pathways in macrophages.

Reactive Chemicals and Electrophilic Stress in Cancer: A Minireview.

Exogenous reactive chemicals can impair cellular homeostasis and are often associated with the development of cancer. Significant progress has been achieved by studying the macromolecular interactions of chemicals that possess various electron-withdrawing groups and the elucidation of the protective responses of cells to chemical interventions. However, the formation of electrophilic species inside the cell and the relationship between oxydative and electrophilic stress remain largely unclear. Derivatives of nitro-benzoxadiazole (also referred as nitro-benzofurazan) are potent producers of hydrogen peroxide and have been used as a model to study the generation of reactive species in cancer cells. This survey highlights the pivotal role of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in the production of reactive oxygen and electrophilic species in cells exposed to cell-permeable chemicals. Lipophilic electrophiles rapidly bind to SOD1 and induce stable and functionally active dimers, which produce excess hydrogen peroxide leading to aberrant cell signalling. Moreover, reactive oxygen species and reactive electrophilic species, simultaneously generated by redox reactions, behave as independent entities that attack a variety of proteins. It is postulated that the binding of the electrophilic moiety to multiple proteins leading to impairing different cellular functions may explain unpredictable side effects in patients undergoing chemotherapy with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-inducing drugs. The identification of proteins susceptible to electrophiles at early steps of oxidative and electrophilic stress is a promising way to offer rational strategies for dealing with stress-related malignant tumors.

14.1: Invited Paper: Stable, Ruggedized and Low Work Function Conductive Ceramics Display Materials

New low work function conductive ceramic materials have been developed by using multi‐sputtering method to realize reliable and low voltage operation display devices such as quantum dots light‐emitting diodes (QLEDs), organic light‐emitting diodes (OLEDs), field emission displays (FEDs) and so on. The work function of conductive ceramic materials exhibits as low as 1.8 eV, which were evaluated by using an ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, that is the lowest work function among display materials, ever reported, being compared with 1.9 eV, 2.6 eV and 2.9 eV of Cs, LiF and Ca. Conventional low work function materials such as Cs, LiF and Ca, are highly reactive chemicals, so that those electrical properties are strongly degraded. However, regarding to experimental results, the low work function ceramic materials have the chemical stability. The extremely stable, ruggedized and low work function conductive ceramic materials are expected to be useful for realizing highly reliable and efficient QLEDs, OLEDs and FEDs.

Mechanical properties of epoxy/boehmite nanocomposites in dependency of mass fraction and surface modification - An experimental and numerical approach

Boehmite nanoparticles show great potential in improving the matrix dominated mechanical properties of fiber reinforced polymers. For the material design process and the prediction of the nanocomposite's properties, knowledge about the material behavior of the constituent phases and their interactions is crucial. Since the chemical composition of the particle surface can strongly affect the interaction between particle and matrix, the influence of particle surface modification and mass fraction on mechanical properties (tensile modulus, tensile strength, fracture toughness) and failure mechanisms of nanoparticle reinforced epoxy resins is investigated using experimental and numerical methods. In the present work, unmodified and thus chemically reactive boehmite particles are compared to acetic acid modified particles with supposedly lower chemical reactivity and thus worse particle-matrix bonding. A linear relationship between particle mass fraction and tensile modulus/fracture toughness is experimentally found with a maximum increase of 26% in tensile modulus and 62% in critical energy release rate for a particle content of 15 wt%. Furthermore, the experiments indicate that the acetic acid surface modification increases the tensile modulus (up to 6% compared to the unmodified boehmite particles), but at the same time not significantly affects the tensile strength or the fracture toughness. Molecular Dynamic Finite Element Method (MDFEM) simulations are conducted to identify and understand the mechanisms induced by nanoparticles. The material properties of both, modified and unmodified, nanoparticle systems are discussed in relation to the change of particle-matrix bonding strength and interphase morphology. While simulation results of the unmodified system show an outstanding agreement with the experiments, the acetic acid modified system deviates significantly. In conclusion, it seems that additional effects have to be considered to completely understand the material behavior.

Hollow glass bubbles etched with tunable sizes of through-holes

Hollow glass bubbles (HGBs) with through-holes at micron level were fabricated by etching them using diluted 1% hydrofluoric acid (HF) solution in a specially designed reaction system. In this study, the function of each component in the system was carefully investigated and improved to realise the controllable etching process. Various parameters were investigated to explore the optimal etching condition. Highest gross yield of about 85% and effective yield of about 50% were obtained at the optimised etching condition. A separating method was proposed to separate the etched HGBs with different hole sizes with the help of reduced pressure. After separation, HGBs with hole size at sub-micron level, less than 10 µm, and bigger than 10 µm, were achieved. The well-etched HGBs can be used as universal containers to store both reactive and inactive chemicals for applications in self-healing materials, biochemical engineering, and energy industry.

Chemical reactivation of fluorescein isothiocyanate immunofluorescence-labeled resin-embedded samples.

Resin embedding is widely used and facilitates microscopic imaging of biological tissues. In contrast, quenching of fluorescence during embedding process hinders the application of resin embedding for imaging of fluorescence-labeled samples. For samples expressing fluorescent proteins, it has been demonstrated that the weakened fluorescence could be recovered by reactivating the fluorophore with alkaline buffer. We extended this idea to immunofluorescence-labeling technology. We showed that the fluorescence of pH-sensitive fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was quenched after resin embedding but reactivated after treating by alkaline buffer. We observed 138.5% fluorescence preservation ratio of reactivated state, sixfold compared with the quenched state in embedding resin, which indicated its application for fluorescence imaging of high signal-to-background ratio. Furthermore, we analyzed the chemical reactivation mechanism of FITC fluorophore. This work would show a way for high-resolution imaging of immunofluorescence-labeled samples embedded in resin.

Room-Temperature Aluminum-Sulfur Batteries with a Lithium-Ion-Mediated Ionic Liquid Electrolyte

Summary Aluminum-sulfur (Al-S) chemistry is attractive for the development of future-generation electrochemical energy storage technologies. However, to date, only limited reversible Al-S chemistry has been demonstrated. This paper demonstrates a highly reversible room-temperature Al-S battery with a lithium-ion (Li + -ion)-mediated ionic liquid electrolyte. Mechanistic studies with electrochemical and spectroscopic methodologies revealed that the enhancement in reversibility by Li + -ion mediation is attributed to the chemical reactivation of aluminum polysulfides and/or sulfide by Li + during electrochemical cycling. The results obtained with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations suggest the presence of a Li 3 AlS 3 -like product with a mixture of Li 2 S- and Al 2 S 3 -like phases in the discharged sulfur cathode. With Li + -ion mediation, the cycle life of room-temperature Al-S batteries is greatly improved. The cell delivers an initial capacity of ∼1,000 mA hr g −1 and maintains a capacity of up to 600 mA hr g −1 after 50 cycles.

Surface Chemistry Dependence of Mechanochemical Reaction of Adsorbed Molecules-An Experimental Study on Tribopolymerization of α-Pinene on Metal, Metal Oxide, and Carbon Surfaces.

Mechanochemical reactions between adsorbate molecules sheared at tribological interfaces can induce association of adsorbed molecules, forming oligomeric and polymeric products often called tribopolymers). This study revealed the role or effect of surface chemistry of the solid substrate in mechanochemical polymerization reactions. As a model reactant, α-pinene was chosen because it was known to readily form tribopolymers at the sliding interface of stainless steel under vapor-phase lubrication conditions. Eight different substrate materials were tested-palladium, nickel, copper, stainless steel, gold, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, and diamond-like carbon (DLC). All metal substrates and DLC were initially covered with surface oxide species formed naturally in air or during the oxidative sample cleaning. It was found that the tribopolymerization yield of α-pinene is much higher on the substrates that can chemisorb α-pinene, compared to the ones on which only physisorption occurs. From the load dependence of the tribopolymerization yield, it was found that the surfaces capable of chemisorption give a smaller critical activation volume for the mechanochemical reaction, compared to the ones capable of physisorption only. On the basis of these observations and infrared spectroscopy analyses of the adsorbed molecules and the produced polymers, it was concluded that the mechanochemical reaction mechanisms might be different between chemically reactive and inert surfaces and that the chemical reactivity of the substrate surface greatly influences the tribochemical polymerization reactions of adsorbed molecules.