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Zesheng An

Research Associate

Education

  • Ph.D. Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005
  • MS Shandong University, 2000
  • BS Shandong University, 1997

Research

Zesheng is interested in polymer chemistry and materials in general and in particular his research is focused on the development of strategies combining synthetic techniques and self/directed assembly approaches to control material properties at various length scales. At UCSB, he has been working on heterogeneous polymerization systems, which in many ways integrate the polymerization process with self-assembly process of the in-situ formed polymers. More importantly, the high solids content of the produced nanostructures under heterogeneous polymerization conditions makes it an intriguing industrial process for specialty applications. Perhaps, the most challenging issues in heterogeneous polymerization are to develop thermodynamically robust systems (few have been established, e.g. microemulsion) and to precisely control the morphologies and structures of the polymers and particles under heterogeneous polymerization conditions as self-assembly of block copolymers does in dilute solutions.

While continuing the theme of heterogeneous polymerizations using both traditional and living free-radical polymerization techniques, he recently becomes interested in developing bio-inspired materials that mimic biological systems to control the distribution of sacrificial bonds, chemical gradients and interfacial properties of organic/polymeric-inorganic composites.

Publications

  1. Zesheng An, Qihui Shi, Wei Tang, Chia-Kuang Tsung, Craig J. Hawker, Galen D. Stucky. ÒFacile RAFT Precipitation Polymerization for the Microwave Assisted Synthesis of Well-Defined Double Hydrophilic Block Copolymers and Nanostructured Hydrogels, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2007, 129, 14493-14499.
  2. Zesheng An, Wei Tang, Craig J. Hawker, Galen D. Stucky. One-Step Microwave Preparation of Well-Defined and Functionalized Polymeric Nanoparticles, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 2006, 128, 15054-15055. (Highlighted by American Chemical Society Heart Cut).

Contact

Zan [at] chem.ucsb.edu

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