Author Spotlight of CCS Chemistry —— 中国科学技术大学 陈昶乐教授

Q1: Who helped you the most as you pursued your research career?

Prof. Chen:  Several people have profoundly influenced my research career. My undergraduate research supervisor, Prof. Qianwang Chen at the University of Science and Technology of China, showed me it can be great fun to explore the mystery of materials synthesis. My Ph.D. mentor, Prof. Richard Jordan at the University of Chicago, provided me with rigorous Ph.D. training, which really shaped me as a good synthetic chemist. My postdoctoral adviser, Prof. Tobin Marks at Northwestern University, inspired me to think outside the box and to explore outside my comfort zone.

Q2: What are some difficult challenges you have faced during your research career? How did you overcome them?

Prof. Chen: Olefin polymerization has been extensively studied in both academia and in industry for almost a century. The most difficult challenge I have faced during my independent research career is how to distinguish myself from the numerous researchers who have worked and are currently working in this field. To overcome this challenge, my group pioneered the introduction of new concepts and strategies (such as redox control, ligand-substrate effect, supramolecular chemistry, etc.) into the tuning of olefin polymerization catalysis and in the systematic studies of properties and potential application directions of polar functionalized polyolefin materials.

Q3: Who is(are) scientist(s) you most respect or admire? Why?

Prof. Chen: I have great respect and admiration for Mr. Longping Yuan, who devoted his life to the research and development of hybrid rice, which helped China feed nearly one-fifth of the world’s population with only about seven percent of the world’s arable land. What inspires me the most is his passion for rice research, which never flagged, even in his later years.

Q4: What do you see as the biggest obstacles and most promising applications in your research area?

Prof. Chen: Over the past few years, my group has developed several high-performance olefin polymerization catalysts. The biggest obstacle we are facing now is to translate them from lab-scale research into large-scale industrial applications. Our research has demonstrated great potential for applications in the synthesis of a variety of specialty polyolefin materials such as polyolefin elastomers, cyclic olefin copolymers, ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, and polar functionalized polyolefins. This will be the focus of my research efforts for the next few years.

Q5: What advice do you have for younger students and researchers beginning their careers in chemistry, and in particular those interested in your field?

Prof. Chen: My advice for younger students and researchers beginning their careers in chemistry is to find the field that you are passionate about. That way, you will enjoy what you do every day for the rest of your career. You should also be bold enough to come out of your comfort zone and to explore challenging new research areas.

Q6: Thank you for publishing your superb work in CCS Chemistry!  Could you provide a brief summary of your article and current research direction in a few sentences?

Prof. Chen: Olefin polymerization is a very old and mature research field, and most of the work in this area is focused on the design and modification of different catalysts. Our article in CCS Chemistry introduced the concept from supramolecular chemistry and photochemistry to influence the properties of olefin polymerization catalysts, which translates into influences on polymerization processes and polymer microstructures.

Learn more： Guohong Wang^†, Dan Peng^†, Yao Sun, and Changle Chen^* (陈昶乐). Interplay of Supramolecular Chemistry and Photochemistry with Palladium-Catalyzed Ethylene Polymerization. CCS Chem. 2020, 2, 2025–2034.

Link: https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.020.202000414

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