Topic: Simplifying Molecular Complexity of Polymer Synthesis
Speaker: Prof. Patrick Théato, University of Hamburg
Time: 10:00, October 16, 2017
Venue: Room 331, Building 25, Wushan Campus

Abstract：Incredible progress has been made in synthetic polymer chemistry to control the polymer chain length, structure and architecture via controlled/living polymerization reactions as well as their functionalization via efficient post-modification chemistries. The development in this field is still very intense and dynamic, leading to an ever-increasing molecular complexity.
However, this increasing complexity on the molecular level demands for highly advanced specialists possessing the skillset to synthesize such chemical structures. This clearly limits or slows down the advancement to new scientific areas. Hence, we have addressed this challenge over the years by developing simple synthetic routes, while maintaining a molecular complexity, thereby providing the synthetic tools for many scientists to prepare highly functional polymer materials with unprecedented molecular precision.
Synthetic routes, possibilities, remaining challenges and opportunities for next generation polymers will be discussed with the aim to development and study of structure-property relationships of polymeric materials. As such, novel syntheses of polymer materials for smart materials and battery related materials will be presented as examples.

Biography: Dr. Patrick Théato is now a tenured associate professor and head of the Institute for Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry at University of Hamburg (Germany). He is also an adjunct professor at Seoul National University (Korea), editor-in-chief of Journal of Macromolecular Science Part A: Pure and Applied Chemistry, editorial or advisory board member of Advances in Polymer Science, Macromolecular Rapid Communication, Macromolecular Chemistry & Physics, Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, etc., and Chair of the IUPAC Subcommittee on Polymer Education. He has 220 publications in ISI journals, including Macomolecules, Nature Materials, Nature Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, Chemical Review, with over 7000 citations (h-index=48). His research covers a wide range of topics in polymer chemistry and materials science.