Public Research Seminar by Advanced Materials Thrust, Function Hub - Two-Dimensional Polymer Reaction Engineering
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Controlled synthesis and hierarchical assembly of 2D polymers into well-organized 3D micro/nanostructures present exciting opportunities for creating advanced materials. These materials combine the superior properties of their 2D constituents with exotic functions arising from their ordered structure. Among these 2D polymers, 2D covalent organic frameworks (COFs) stand out due to their robust covalent skeletons and precise pore structures. These emerging materials hold great potential for a wide range of applications. However, fabricating such materials with highly ordered micro/nano-structures and well-defined morphology remains a significant challenge. The kinetic traps associated with polymerization processes pose obstacles. In recent years, our group has focused on the polymerization reaction engineering of 2D polymers, aiming to understand their reaction-assembly processes. We have introduced innovative reaction methods, including reversible polycondensation-termination and asymmetrical monomer exchange. These approaches have successfully achieved controlled polymerization-assembly of multi-functional monomers, as well as the controlled depolymerization-reconstruction of amorphous products. Consequently, we have prepared particles, fibers, and films with highly ordered microstructures and regular morphologies. These products exhibit exotic properties and functionalities that find practical use in areas such as heterogeneous catalysis, optical sensing, and electrochemical energy storage.
Dr. Pingwei Liu is a tenured associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University. His primary research focus lies in polymer reaction engineering and polymer product engineering. He earned his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in chemical engineering from Zhejiang University in 2008 and 2014, respectively. From 2014 to 2018, he conducted postdoctoral research at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2018, he joined Zhejiang University as part of the “Hundred Talents Program” and was appointed as a researcher. In 2021, he was promoted to the position of Tenured Associate Professor. Currently, he holds additional roles as the Deputy Director of the Development Planning Office at Zhejiang University, Director of the Institute of Polymer and Polymer Engineering, and a fixed member of the National Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering. Over the past few years, he has authored approximately 50 articles as the first author or corresponding author in journals such as Science, Nature Materials, and the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). His work has been cited more than 1,800 times in the SCI. Dr. Liu has also applied for 33 Chinese and international invention patents, of which 14 have been granted. Additionally, he has been recognized by the National Youth Talent Program, included in the Global 2019 Class of Influential Researchers by the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (IECR) journal of the American Chemical Society, and serves as a member of the editorial board of “Progress in Chemical Industry”, among other accolades.