Microporous and Degradable Polymers for a Sustainable Future by Prof. Yan Xia, Stanford University
Description:
Webinar
Microporous and Degradable Polymers for a Sustainable Future
Prof. Yan Xia
Department of Chemistry, Stanford University
Thursday, October 27, Webinar at 6:30 PM Pacific time
Abstract:
Innovative polymer chemistry plays an important role in achieving a sustainable future. I will present two types of polymers my lab has developed toward this goal – enabling energy-efficient chemical separations and recyclable thermosets. The first type is microporous ladder-shaped polymers that function as size-sieving membranes for the separation of important gases with minimal energy consumption and environmental impact. We serendipitously discovered an interesting structure-dependent aging behavior for these polymer membranes – separation selectivity is increased considerably over time without losing permeability significantly. By tuning the polymer chain configurations, we have obtained mechanically robust membranes with an unprecedented combination of ultrahigh selectivity and permeability, setting record performance for many gas separations. The second type of polymer is degradable/recyclable thermosets based on dicyclopentadiene (DCPD) and cyclic enol ether. An overlooked reactivity of Grubbs catalysts allowed us to synthesize polyDCPD thermosets and composites with a wide range of remarkable mechanical properties, easy processibility, and on-demand degradability. I will present the enabling chemistry for these developments, optimization of material properties and performance, and paths toward real-world applications.
Speaker Background & Research Interests:
Yan Xia is an associate professor in the Chemistry department at Stanford University. He grew up in Beijing and received his undergraduate degree from Peking University ('02), MSc from McMaster University ('05), and PhD from Caltech ('10) all in Chemistry, where he was trained under the tutelage of Profs. Bob Grubbs (deceased) and Julie Kornfield. Following his PhD study, he took a well-paid “sabbatical” in industry to work at Dow Chemical as a senior chemist for one and a half years, but decided curiosity-driven rather than application-driven research is at his heart. He then quit the job and transitioned back to academia as a poor postdoc at MIT for a year. He was extremely fortunate to find a job at Stanford and opened his lab there in the chemistry department in the summer of 2013, and became a tenured member of the department in 2020 amidst all the chaos that year. His research interest lies in the design, synthesis, and manipulation of organic materials and polymers. His research group leverages a range of unusual molecular structures and overlooked reactivities to develop innovative soft materials.
DATE: Thursday, October 27
Registration deadline: Wednesday, October 26, 1:00 PM.
Registration may close earlier than the nominal deadline if capacity is reached.
This event will be FREE OF CHARGE, but we still require you to fill out the registration form. In particular, we need to have your name and email address for you to be able to participate. Please provide affiliation also if you can, as it helps us judge audience interests.
If you can spare a small amount, GGPF requests an optional donation of $5 (or more) but this is not required to register and attend the webinar.
To register for free, use the pull-down toggle to select "All registrants ($0.00)" choice.
To donate, use the pull down toggle to select "GGPF donation ($5.00)". This will direct you to a secure link where you can use PayPal or any credit or debit card. For larger donations, use the "Donate to GGPF" link on the front page GGPF.org
Webinar Timing: 6:30 PM.
(Zoom meeting room will open earlier)
Attendees who complete the registration form will receive information by email for how to participate. It is requested that people join the meeting invitation well before 6:30 to avoid delays.
Registrants will receive the information needed to join the webinar within a day of the event in an email from “events@ggpf.org” To be certain of seeing the note, please add events@ggpf.org to your safe mail senders list, and/or look in your spam, updates, or other mailbox locations in addition to your primary In Box.
Please register on the web page.
You should receive email confirmation of your registration; if not, please contact us again.
Do not reply to email from events@ggpf.org
For questions or other assistance, contact:
Clayton Henderson
macro2nano@verizon.net
Attendees will be added to the GGPF email announcements list unless they request otherwise.
LOCATION:
Anywhere you want, or anywhere you are busy socially distancing, sheltering in place, working, or waiting it all out. Good luck!
We are sorry but registration for this event is now closed.
Please contact us if you would like to know if spaces are still available.