IMX Seminar Series - Research in polymer chemistry and catalysis in the Guironnet group

This seminar will be a bit different than traditional seminars, as I intend to give an overview of the
research done in my group.1 My goal is to trigger discussions that I am hoping to have throughout the
semester (with students, postdocs, or faculty), as I am doing my sabbatical in the lab of Prof. Klok for
the upcoming year. The first part of my presentation will highlight the concept of design-to-synthesis in
polymer chemistry (Nature Comm 2020).2 Using a combination of living polymerization methods and
reactor engineering concepts, my group has developed a simple protocol to synthesize polymers with
any molecular weight distribution and architecture. The second part of my presentation will highlight
our catalysis work. I will describe a recent polyethylene chemical recycling strategy we have
pioneered (JACS 2022)3 as well as an unprecedented way to control the reactivity of platinum
catalysts for the hydrosilylation reaction (Angewandte 2023)4. The last part will include a short
overview of ongoing work related to membrane design, new catalysts for olefin polymerization and a
recent venture into nanomedicine.
1) https://guironnet.chbe.illinois.edu/
2) Nat Commun. 2020 11, 3094
3) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2022, 144, 18526
4) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202214267
Bio: Damien Guironnet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular
Engineering and Department of Chemistry at The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. He
joined Illinois in 2014 from BASF Corporation where he worked as a senior research scientist. At
Illinois, his research focuses on the development of catalytic polymerization techniques to achieve
precise control over polymer composition and architecture. They implement sophisticated reactor
engineering strategies to design and automate the synthesis of tailor-made polymers.