Journal of Materials Chemistry Blog

We are delighted to announce Professor Xinliang Feng has won the 2013 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship.

Professor Feng is the fourth winner of the Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship. The Journal of Materials Chemistry Executive Editorial Board chose Professor Feng in recognition of the contribution he has made to the materials chemistry field.

Professor Feng will present the lectureship at ICMAT 2013 later this year and will be presented with the award by the Managing Editor of the journals Dr Liz Dunn.

Profesor Feng received his Bachelor’s degree in analytic chemistry from the China University of Geosciences in 2001. Then he obtained his Master’s degree in organic chemistry from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in March 2004, where he worked on the synthesis of fluorinated ion-exchange resins and polymer-supported organic catalysts. Later on he moved to Professor Herbert Mayr’s group at the University of Munich in April 2004 for a short period to conduct research on the nucelofugality and electrofugality in organic solvolysis. In September 2004, he joined the group of Professor Klaus Mullen at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research for a PhD thesis on the synthesis and supramolecular chemistry of novel polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, where he obtained his PhD degree in April 2008.

In December 2007, he was appointed as project leader at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research. And since 2011, he became an adjunct distinguished professor at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and was appointed as the director for the Institute of Advanced Organic Materials.

His current scientific interests include the synthesis and self-organization of extended graphene molecules, novel conjugated oligomers and polymers, and testing for applications in organic electronic devices, processable graphene sheets for transparent electrodes and organic electronics, functional organic nanomaterials for energy oriented application, graphene-based 2D nanomaterials and low-dimensional nanostructured functional carbon-rich as well as hybrid materials for energy storage and conversion, 2D conjugated and supramolecular polymers for opto-electronic applications.

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It is estimated that less than 1% of the world’s macroalgae biomass is currently utilised but UK scientists have found a use for some of it – in the preparation of highly mesoporous materials.

Mesoporous materials have a variety of applications including catalysts and drug delivery systems. Previously, other biomass sources, such as peas, potatoes and corn, have been considered for use in the production of mesoporous materials. However, by using seaweed as the biomass source, James Clark, and co-workers, at the University of York, UK, managed to form mesoporous material, without the need for costly processes, such as supercritical carbon dioxide drying.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Shaped mesoporous materials from fresh macroalgae
J. R. Dodson ,  V. L. Budarin ,  A. J. Hunt ,  P. S. Shuttleworth and J. H. Clark
J. Mater. Chem. A, 2013,1, 5203-5207
DOI: 10.1039/C3TA10568G

Scientists in the US have designed an ingestible electronic device that is composed entirely of edible materials and produces its own electric current.

Since 2008, Christopher Bettinger and colleagues from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have been working on biodegradable electronics for medical devices. The team’s overarching goal is to develop electronically-active medical devices that can be implanted, are functional and break-down in the body. ‘Two issues that seem to keep coming up along the way are how will these devices be powered and how can we integrate devices with the body in a non-invasive manner?’ says Bettinger. ‘The idea of edible current sources is to serve as power supplies for medical devices that can be taken orally – so they’re non-invasive – using materials that are ingested in common diets.’

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Self-deployable current sources fabricated from edible materials
Young Jo Kim ,  Sang-Eun Chun ,  Jay Whitacre and Christopher J. Bettinger
J. Mater. Chem. B, 2013, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C3TB20183J

The Chemical Society of Japan and Ashai Kasei Corporation are co-hosting a symposium, supported by the RSC, at the Japanese Embassy in London on 5th March. The topic of the symposium is ‘Lithium Ion Battery: The Inception, Development, and Future‘. The inventor of the lithium ion battery, Dr Akira Yoshino (Asahi Kasei Corporation, Japan) and Professor Anthony R. West (The University of Sheffield, UK) will be giving lectures. The aim of this symposium is to introduce to the science and technology community in the UK, a seminal global contribution originating from Japan in science, technology and innovation.

Registration for the event closes 28 February 2013. To register please use RSC’s events website, available here:
http://www.rsc.org/ConferencesAndEvents/conference/alldetails.cfm?evid=112885

Now in its 4th year, we are looking for nominations from you for the next Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship recipient. Nominations for the Lectureship close next week on 28 February.

This annual lectureship honours a younger scientist who has made a significant contribution to the field of materials chemistry.

Qualification
To be eligible for the Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship, the candidate should be in the earlier stages of their scientific career, typically within 10 years of attaining their doctorate or equivalent degree, and will have made a significant contribution to the field.

Description
The recipient of the award will be asked to present one Journal of Materials Chemistry lecture, at a conference decided upon by the recipient and the Editorial Office. The Journal of Materials Chemistry Editorial Office will provide the sum of £1000 to the recipient for travel and accommodation costs. The award recipient will be presented with the award at this lecture. They will also be asked to contribute a lead article to the journal and will have their work showcased on the back cover of the issue in which their article is published.

Selection
The recipient of the lectureship will be selected and endorsed by the Journal of Materials Chemistry Executive Editorial Board.

Nominations
Those wishing to make a nomination should send details of the nominee including a brief C.V. (no longer than 2 pages) together with a letter supporting the nomination (no longer than 2 pages), to the Journal of Materials Chemistry Editorial Office by 28 February 2013. Please note that self-nomination is permitted.

Send a nomination here today: materials-rsc@rsc.org