Prof. Hadjichristidis honored with 2015 ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry
Prof. Nikos Hadjichristidis was recently awarded the 2015 American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Polymer Chemistry sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical Company. He will be honored at an awards ceremony on March 24, 2015, in conjunction with the 249th ACS national meeting in Denver. ACS will also organize a symposium in honor of Prof. Hadjichristidis during the national meeting.
Prof. Hadjichristidis joined KAUST in September 2011 with the dream of building a world-class Polymer Synthesis Laboratory.
"Polymers are very important in KAUST research in the four thrusts as they make up the membranes in our water research, are in solar cells and play a role in petrochemicals in energy research and CO2 capture. They are also used as feedstock in environment research, and packaging and green housing in food," said Prof. Hadjichristidis. "I dream of a laboratory which will be a pole of attraction in these areas that will consist of the best faculty and students from all over the world, and thus to contribute to the vision and mission of KAUST and the dream of the King."
Currently, Prof. Hadjichristidis's research focuses on the synthesis of model polymers with different macromolecular architectures. While the synthesis of model polymers is time-consuming and often leads to a small quantity of products, he says the research is worth it because of their tremendous potential.
"These polymers are ideal models for checking the theory, understanding and improving the performance of industrial polymers (e.g. polyethylene, polystyrene based thermoplastic elastomers) and are potential candidates for high-tech applications (e.g. nanolithography, drug delivery, high temperature membranes)," he said.
Earlier this year, he was selected as ACS 2014 POLY fellow for his research in advancing the field of polymer science.