Shaking Up Photochemistry: The Future Frontiers of Mechanophotocatalysis

Solution-state photocatalysis is fundamentally reliant on the use of organic solvents, which are associated with significant safety, sustainability, and implementation challenges for conducting light-driven reactions. Mechanophotocatalysis tantalizingly addresses these issues by significantly reducing the use of reaction solvents, using mechanical mixing to mediate light-driven transformations. In this Outlook, we examine the motivations for combining photocatalysis with mechanochemistry, assess how this nascent methodology has evolved, and speculate on future research directions that should be explored in order for mechanophotocatalysis to emerge as a useful and complementary methodology for conducting photochemical reactions under solvent-minimized conditions.