Active Confinement Catalysis Powered by Mechanical Force.
- 1School of Physical Science and Technology
- 2ShanghaiTech University
- 3School of Life Science and Technology
Abstract
The design of artificial enzyme mimics has long been guided by the paradigm of crafting static pockets for transition-state stabilization, a process reliant on stochastic molecular diffusion. These passive events impose a rate limit, and a strict criterion for substrates with suitable size and electronic matching. Inspired by biological ion pumps that drive uphill ion transport using chemical fuels, we propose that mechanical force can power an active, out-of-equilibrium catalytic pumping cycle. We herein report a solid-state mechanochemical strategy where mechanical input drives a confinement catalyst 1 ( Pd 2 L 2 ) from a closed to an open “active” state, while simultaneously pumping substrate molecules into its active site for catalytic events. This dynamic catalyst exhibits substrate size and shape recognition, and its mechano-pump mechanism is quantitatively validated by Michaelis-Menten saturation kinetics, where catalytic efficiency scales directly with the applied force. Moreover, the active-pump action overcomes inherent electrostatic repulsion, enabling cationic substrates, normally excluded from the cationic host catalysts, to be efficiently drawn in and engaged in catalytic turnover. This force-induced pumping catalysis concept is smoothly extended to photochemistry. By combining a photosensitizing unit and an active confinement catalyst, an active pumping mechano-photoredox C-H oxidation process is developed. This work establishes mechanical force not merely as a synthetic tool, but as a fundamental design parameter for catalysts, opening a pathway to life-like chemical control in which energy transduction, not just static structure, dictates function.
Related
- Digital catalysis platform as a gateway to big data and AI-powered innovations in catalysis
- Machine Learning-Powered Simulations of Confinement-Driven ¹²⁹ Xe Nuclear Spin Relaxation
- Broadly Accessible and Highly Active Hydrophosphination Catalysis with Simple Calcium Compounds in DMSO Solution
- Boosting mechanical-to-ionic transduction for self-powered piezoionic sensing
- High Young's modulus NaF coating on bulk Sn: mechanical confinement effect drives durable sodium storage by alleviating (de)sodiation stress.
BibTeX
@misc{li2026active,
title = {{Active Confinement Catalysis Powered by Mechanical Force.}},
author = {Shi Li and Fang-Zi Liu and Xinhan Liu and Yan Liu and Jian Wang and KaKing Yan},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15008989/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008989/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Active Confinement Catalysis Powered by Mechanical Force.
AU - Shi Li
AU - Fang-Zi Liu
AU - Xinhan Liu
AU - Yan Liu
AU - Jian Wang
AU - KaKing Yan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15008989/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15008989/v1
AB - The design of artificial enzyme mimics has long been guided by the paradigm of crafting static pockets for transition-state stabilization, a process reliant on stochastic molecular diffusion. These passive events impose a rate limit, and a strict criterion for substrates with suitable size and electronic matching. Inspired by biological ion pumps that drive uphill ion transport using chemical fuels, we propose that mechanical force can power an active, out-of-equilibrium catalytic pumping cycle. We herein report a solid-state mechanochemical strategy where mechanical input drives a confinement catalyst 1 ( Pd 2 L 2 ) from a closed to an open “active” state, while simultaneously pumping substrate molecules into its active site for catalytic events. This dynamic catalyst exhibits substrate size and shape recognition, and its mechano-pump mechanism is quantitatively validated by Michaelis-Menten saturation kinetics, where catalytic efficiency scales directly with the applied force. Moreover, the active-pump action overcomes inherent electrostatic repulsion, enabling cationic substrates, normally excluded from the cationic host catalysts, to be efficiently drawn in and engaged in catalytic turnover. This force-induced pumping catalysis concept is smoothly extended to photochemistry. By combining a photosensitizing unit and an active confinement catalyst, an active pumping mechano-photoredox C-H oxidation process is developed. This work establishes mechanical force not merely as a synthetic tool, but as a fundamental design parameter for catalysts, opening a pathway to life-like chemical control in which energy transduction, not just static structure, dictates function.
ER -