Research focus: Next-generation plastics and elastomers from renewable raw materials (soybean oil, rosin, lignin)1. Systematically studied the amidation of soybean oil by 25 different amino alcohols and developed 24 monomers from the obtained fatty acid derivatives for making thermoplastic polymers through various polymerizations (free radical, condensation, ATRP, RAFT, ROMP, ROP)2. Synthesized thermoplastic elastomers Poly(styrene)-b-Poly(soybean oil monomer)-b-Poly(styrene) by ATRP and examined their structure-property relationships by SAXS, DSC and tensile testing3. Developed thermoplastic elastomers Poly(rosin monomer)-b-Poly(soybean oil monomer)-b-Poly(rosin monomer) by ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and characterized the products by SAXS, DSC, AFM and tensile testing4. Prepared thermosetting elastomers by curing the copolymers Poly(styrene-co-soybean oil monomer) with dicumyl peroxide mixed through micro-compounding5. Synthesized thermosetting elastomers by cross-linking soy-based polymers with modified lignin via thermally promoted azide-alkyne cyclization (TAAC) at 120 oC6. Developed thermally processable elastomers by cross-linking soy-based polymers via Diels-Alder coupling and examined their properties by DMA, DSC, extraction and tensile test7. Prepared thermoset epoxy resins from soybean oil based epoxy polymers and optimized the curing parameters (polymer structure, temperature, curing agent ratio, time, etc). 8. Developed a cationic resin acid derivative and conjugated it to poly(caprolactone) for fabricating antibacterial nano-fibers through a home-made electro-spinning facility

Research focus: Novel nano-structures from self-assembly of functional polymers1. Prepared reduction sensitive micelles from the self-assembly of amphiphilic block copolymers with pendant disulfide and chromophore groups prepared by ATRP.2. Synthesized mono-tethered single-chain nanoparticles shape amphiphiles by reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and examined its self-assembly behavior in different medium (water, methanol, cyclohexane).3. Constructed hybrid hollow capsules by interface-directed self-assembly of gold nanoparticale and interfacial cross-linking polymerization.4. Modified the surface of reduced graphene oxide with thermoresponsive polymers (PNIPAM) through grafting from RAFT polymerization.