Mechanochemical deconstruction of lignocellulosic cell wall polymers with ball-milling.

•The deconstruction of cell walls in molecular-level during ball milling was evaluated.•Mechanical fragmentation could efficiently modify the supramolecular structure of cellulose-hemicelluloses-lignin matrix.•Ball milling led to the depolymerization of the complex polymeric structure of cell wall, especially the polysaccharides.•Micromorphology features of corn stover were significantly changed by mechanical action.