Eco-Friendly Production of Hyper-Cross-Linked Polymers Using Mechanosynthesis and Bioresources: A Critical Review

Hyper-cross-linked polymers (HCPs) are receiving great attention due to their high specific surface areas, allowing them to offer high performances in many different applications. However, most of the time, their syntheses require hazardous and time-consuming protocols, making their implementation and scaling up difficult. To overcome this problem, a relatively old technology such as mechanosynthesis (MS) has gained renewed interest as a greener and faster technology to produce HCPs, which involves much lower energy consumption during the reaction process. In this perspective, the latest advances on the performances of HCPs based on MS protocols are compiled and analyzed, subdivided into those based on Friedel–Crafts alkylation, Scholl coupling reactions, and other less common procedures. An analysis of MS versus solvent-based protocols regarding the 12 principles of green chemistry is also reported, as well as a section including a summary of the most recent applications of HCPs. Finally, the use of biobased precursors for the formulation of HCPs is discussed, thus pooling knowledge for greener, faster, and more widely applicable future development of HCPs.