CityU IAS News

The leading educator in the field of polymer chemistry, Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski delivered a distinguished lecture titled “Macromolecular Engineering by Taming Free Radicals”.

Professor Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, an internationally recognized polymer chemist who discovered the Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP), delivered a distinguished lecture titled “Macromolecular Engineering by Taming Free Radicals” for the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) on 24 October 2018.

In the lecture, Professor Matyjaszewski, J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, elaborated the advantages of the application of ATRP and how this method of polymer synthesis allows scientists to create a wide range of materials with highly specific, tailored functionalities and has led the way for the production of advanced materials, such as health and beauty products, biomedical and electronic materials, coatings, elastomers, adhesives, surfactants, dispersants, lubricants, additives, or sealants. He specially emphasized on nanostructured multifunctional hybrid materials for application related to environment, energy and catalysis.

Professor Matyjaszewski’s research group has continued to develop ATRP since its discovery in 1994, improving the technique and extending its use to many applications in the automotive, building materials, medical, energy and environmental fields.

Professor Alex Jen, Provost and Chair Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science at CityU,
presented a souvenir to Professor Matyjaszewski.

Contributions of Professor Matyjaszewski have profoundly impacted in various fields of materials chemistry. He is one of the leading educators in the field of polymer chemistry, and his work has been cited in the scientific literature more than 95,000 times, making him one of the most cited chemists in the world. Awards that Professor Matyjaszewski received include 2017 Franklin Medal in Chemistry and 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry. In addition, he received ten honorary degrees and is a member of National Academy of Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, Russian Academy of Sciences, and a fellow of National Academy of Inventors and American Chemical Society.

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