Speaker: Prof. Yunyan Qiu, National University of Singapore, Department of Chemistry

Time: 10:00 a.m., August 23, 2023, GMT+8

Venue: College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Room A204

Abstract:

The rise and promise of artificial molecular machines allow chemists to explore control and functions in a nanoscale world. This presentation will discuss advances in the design and precision synthesis of enthalpically and entropically demanding polyrotaxanes bearing densely charged units courtesy of radical chemistry. I have developed a chemically and electrochemically redox-driven polyrotaxane synthesizer in order to control the exact number of rings installed onto a polymeric chain. I have demonstrated that polyrotaxanes with a controlled number of rings can be produced through repetitive redox cycles using chemical reagents or a supply of electricity without generating and accumulating waste products. Further progress on developing an automated electrochemical polyrotaxane synthesizer and sequence control on installed rings will also be discussed, demonstrating great promises of applying artificial molecular machines in polymer chemistry and materials science. Some of my group's recent progress on precision polymer synthesis will also be covered in this talk.

Biography:

Dr.Yunyan Qiu completed his undergraduate training at Peking University with Prof. Demin Zhou. He came to the United States and earned his Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University under the guidance of Prof. Kevin Noonan and Tomek Kowalewski. Since December 2016, Dr. Qiu has been a post doctoral fellow working with Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart (2016 Nobel Prizein Chemistry) at Northwestern University, where he researches molecular machines and related functional materials. In October 2022, Yunyan started hisindependent career as a Presidential Young Professor (PYP) of Chemistry at National University of Singapore. Dr. Qiu's research focuses on applying synthetic organic, polymer, macro cyclic and supramolecular chemistry to the design and synthesis of functional dynamic materials and catalysts for environmental, energy, and nature-inspired biomedical applications.

Source: College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering