A molecular ripcord for chemical reactions

Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (the Netherlands) have developed an entirely new method for starting chemical reactions. For the first time they used mechanical forces to control catalytic activity - one of the most fundamental concepts in chemistry. This allowed them to initiate chemical reactions with mechanical force. This discovery paves the way to developing materials capable of repairing themselves under the influence of mechanical tension. The results of their research will be published online on 6 April 2009 in the new international journal Nature Chemistry.

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