Polymer Chemistry Blog

Guocan Yu was born in Zhejiang, China in 1987. He received his BS degree in polymer materials and engineering from Hefei University of Technology in 2010. Then he joined the laboratory of Professor Feihe Huang at Zhejiang University to pursue his PhD degree in chemistry. From 2013, he was selected as a subgroup leader in Professor Huang’s group. His current research interests are focused on the construction of functional supramolecular amphiphiles, controllable self-assembly based on pillararenes, and their biologically relevant applications. Research Group Website

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

When I was a middle school student, I was interested in Chemistry. I wanted to figure out the reasons behind chemical phenomena. Therefore, I chose chemistry as my major when I was in University. I like chemistry, and I can get a lot of joy from my work everyday.

What was the motivation to write your Polymer Chemistry article?

In our research group, we are interested in the fabrication of supramolecular polymers with interesting functions on the basis of host–guest recognitions. In this manuscript, we found that the linear supramolecular polymer exhibited pH- and photo- responsiveness. On the other hand, we constructed a photo-responsive supramolecular network based on the same recognition motif. We thought this manuscript was suitable for Polymer Chemistry.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work? (DOI: 10.1039/C4PY01042F )

Polymer Chemistry is a high-level journal in the field of polymer science, and the papers published in this journal are always high-quality. As well, the reviewing and publishing process are very fast.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

The 4th International Conference on Molecular Sensors and Molecular Logic Gates (MSMLG), November 9-12, 2014, Shanghai, China.

How do you spend your spare time?

In my spare time, I like reading chemical or biological literature, because I want to become a knowledgeable person like my boss. Sometimes, I play basketball with my groupmates.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

Maybe I would be a carpenter, because my father is a carpenter.  He can make a series of nice furniture, he is my idol.

Read Guocan Yu’s latest Polymer Chemistry paper:

Construction of a pillar[5]arene-based linear supramolecular polymer and a photo-responsive supramolecular network

Jie Yang, Zhengtao Li, Yujuan Zhou and Guocan Yu

Cyrille Boyer is a guest web-writer for Polymer Chemistry. He is currently an associate professor and an ARC-Future Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (Australia) and deputy director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine.

Dr Marlene Lejars graduated in 2009 from the National School of Chemistry, Biology and Physics (ENSCBP) of Bordeaux, France, and received a Master degree in Chemistry (Polymers and Colloids) from Bordeaux University. She obtained her PhD degree in 2012 at the University of Toulon, France (MAPIEM laboratory, A. Margaillan and C. Bressy as supervisors), working on the synthesis of new polymer binders by the RAFT polymerization for FRC/SPC hybrid antifouling coatings. Following her PhD, she continued her research work at MAPIEM with an expertise in polymer synthesis and characterization, paint formulation, and evaluation of antifouling performances. She is involved in research projects dealing with electro-active antifouling coatings, as well as antifouling coatings for drag reduction (DRACONS project 2013-2017). She is reviewer for journals in the field of polymers including Polymer Chemistry and Journal of Applied Polymer Science. She is also involved in quality and safety management at MAPIEM laboratory.

What was your inspiration in becoming a chemist?

During high school, my Chemistry teacher put me forward to compete in a French competition, called “The Olympiads of Chemistry”. This was the opportunity for me to discover several aspects of Chemistry in more detail through theoretical courses and practical experimentation. I won the first award of the competition organized in Bordeaux. Thanks to this competition, I discovered that Chemistry was a fascinating world and I decided that I would become a chemist.

What was the motivation to write your Polymer Chemistry article?

The MAPIEM laboratory is specialized on the fouling issue especially on ships hulls, and the development of antifouling coatings. There are two main types on the market: (i) Self-Polishing Coatings (SPC) based on hydrolyzable polymers which release toxic biocides into the environment, and (ii) Fouling Release Coatings which are non-adhesive poly(dimethylsiloxane) matrix coatings with no biocide. We decided to synthesize new antifouling binders by mixing both technologies through the synthesis of copolymers based on tri-alkylsilyl methacrylates (used in SPC binders) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (used in FRC binders). The RAFT process was used to control the architecture and molecular weights of polymers. We found that the diblock copolymers exhibited much lower surface energies than the statistical copolymers.

Why did you choose Polymer Chemistry to publish your work? (DOI: 10.1039/C3PY01603J)

Polymer Chemistry is a leading journal in the field of polymer science with high quality published papers. The reviewing and publishing process is very fast.

In which upcoming conferences may our readers meet you?

Our laboratory will organize the 18th International Congress of Marine Fouling and Corrosion (ICMCF) in Toulon, France (June 19-23, 2016).

How do you spend your spare time?

I spend my spare time doing sport such as swimming, hiking and rollerblading, but also cooking or going to the cinema. I like travelling abroad to discover new cultures, cuisines and ways of life.

Which profession would you choose if you were not a scientist?

I would probably be a primary school teacher or a pastry chef as I love to prepare cakes, especially the delicious “canelés” from Bordeaux!

Read Dr Lejars’ latest Polymer Chemistry paper:

Synthesis and characterization of diblock and statistical copolymers based on hydrolyzable siloxy silylester methacrylate monomers
Marlène Lejars, André Margaillan and Christine Bressy
Polym. Chem., 2014,5, 2109-2117 DOI: 10.1039/C3PY01603J

Cyrille Boyer is a guest web-writer for Polymer Chemistry. He is currently an associate professor and an ARC-Future Fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering, University of New South Wales (Australia) and deputy director of the Australian Centre for NanoMedicine.