Congratulations to Professor Baochun Guo for Winning the 2022 Sparks-Thomas Award
date:2021-10-14 pageviews:21


From October 4th to 7th, 2021, the annual International Elastomer Conference of the ACS Rubber Division was held in Pittsburgh, USA. On the opening day of the Conference, the organizers announced the winners of the 2022 ACS Rubber Division Science and Technology Awards. Professor Baochun Guo from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology was awarded the 2022 Sparks-Thomas Award for his important contributions to the research and development of low-hysteresis rubber and rubbers cross-linked with dynamic bonds.



The hysteresis properties of rubber materials have an important impact on the fuel economy and safety of rubber products (such as tires) used in dynamic environment. Professor Baochun Guo proposed an in-situ catalytic interfacial silylation reaction technology to reduce the use of silane and improve the dynamic performance of tire rubber, which is of great significance in reducing VOC emissions in tire manufacturing and improving fuel-saving performance of tires. He also proposed the concept of "rubber reinforced rubber", which realizes an unprecedented combination of high strength and ultra-low dynamic heat generation properties. It is of great importance to the future development of dynamic rubber products with longer service life and higher safety.


Rubber is an important strategic resource. However, the rubber resources in China are seriously short. Hence, it is important to transform waste rubber into resources. Although rubbers cross-linked with dynamic covalent bonds can be recycled with high value, traditional methods fail to balance the relationship between high mechanical properties and excellent repeatability. Professor Guo proposed strategies to introduce sacrificial bonds in cross-linked rubber networks, and introduce exchangeable bonds into rubber-particle interface, developing a series of reproducible elastomers with high-performance.


The Sparks-Thomas Award was established in 1986, with the purpose of recognizing and encouraging outstanding scientific contributions and innovations in the field of elastomers by young scientists, technologists and engineers. The Award is given in permanent honor of William J. Sparks and Robert M. Thomas who developed butyl rubber. Winners of the Award have made outstanding contributions to elastomer science and technology, and only one person will be awarded annually from across the world. Professor Baochun Guo is the second Chinese scholar to receive this Award since its establishment.



Introduction to Professor Guo:



Baochun Guo is a professor of the School of Materials Science and Engineering, SCUT. His research directions include polymer/halloysite nanocomposites, rubber reinforcements, ionic liquids for polymer composites, synthesis of bio-based polymers, and functional graphene based materials. In 2018, he got the project supported by NSFC for Distinguished Young Scholar of China. In 2017, he was selected as a leading talent of the National Ten Thousand Talents Program. He chairs many high-level research projects, including the State Key Program of NSFC, Distinguished Young Scholar Project, 973 Project and others. He has published more than 160 papers in academic journals as a corresponding author, with citations of more than 10,000 times (Google Scholar). He has also obtained more than 20 authorized domestic and international invention patents.