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SUMMARY:IMX Talks - Sustainable green bio-polycarbonates from bio-based
  feedstocks and CO2 toward carbon-neutral goals
DTSTART:20260416T161500
DTEND:20260416T170000
DTSTAMP:20260404T013016Z
UID:8eca9c7141a0f4cf49a56e6de13481bfde6ad45c2233755834cb32d9
CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Shaoqing Cui\, Zhejiang University\, China\nThe growing c
 hallenges of plastic pollution\, fossil resource depletion\, and carbon em
 issions have accelerated the search for sustainable alternatives to polyme
 rs. This presentation will focus on the development of fully bio-based pol
 ycarbonates\, synthesized through the polymerization of carbon dioxide wit
 h renewable epoxides. We will first detail our laboratory’s work in gene
 rating a diverse portfolio monomer from a wide range of bio-feedstocks inc
 luding plant oils\, terpenes\, lignocellulosic biomass\, and industrial by
 products. Another focus is the effect of monomer structure on resulting po
 lymer properties and performance\, and how post-polymerization modificatio
 n strategies can be employed to tailor materials for specific applications
 . (2) Applications of bio-based polycarbonates will be then discussed in f
 ields such as coatings\, biomedical materials\, adhesives\, and their recy
 cling pathways. (3) An outline of future directions will be explored\, emp
 hasizing the roles of advanced catalyst design\, AI-driven manufacturing\,
  and supportive policy frameworks to enable scalable and sustainable produ
 ction. The integration of CO2 utilization with renewable feedstocks presen
 ts a compelling route toward circular and carbon–neutral materials.\n\nB
 io: Shaoqing Cui\, Ph.D.\, is a Principal Investigator under the Zhejiang
  University’s "Hundred Talents Program" and a recipient of China’s Nat
 ional High-level Talent Program - (Overseas Young Talent Project). She use
 d to be an Assistant Professor at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (U
 nited States) before joining Zhejiang University. Her research focuses on 
 the valorization of agricultural waste and carbon dioxide conversion and u
 tilization\, including high-value utilization of agricultural straw\, wast
 e oils as well as  microalgae biomass. She has led and participated in mu
 ltiple research projects\, including a U.S. Department of Energy project o
 n the efficient catalytic conversion of waste-treatment microalgae and CO2
  into high-value plastic products\, also two U.S. Department of Agricultur
 e projects. Since joining the Zhejiang University in 2023\, she has also b
 een leading several major research initiatives\, including projects funded
  by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Zhejiang Provinci
 al Key R&D Programs.
LOCATION:MXF 312 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==MXF%20312
STATUS:CONFIRMED
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