Professor Tomohiro Kubo
Assistant Professor
Department of Chemical Science & Engineering
Tokyo Institute of Technology
Controlled Polymerization of Renewable Monomers for Functional and Degradable Polymers
In light of increasing environmental concerns, the development of sustainable polymers for a circular economy has become a critical need. One promising approach for producing environmentally-friendly polymers is through the use of biorenewable feedstocks. This presentation encompasses our recent efforts in developing synthetic methods that transform abundant biobased compounds into novel polymeric materials. As an example of our approach, we have demonstrated the synthesis of well-defined functional polymers with adhesive properties through the controlled polymerization of renewable vinyl monomers. In more recent work, we have achieved the synthesis of degradable vinyl polymers by utilizing a renewable compound as a comonomer. Our results demonstrate the potential of these synthetic methods for producing sustainable polymers with desirable properties.
Tomohiro (Tomo) Kubo
Tomohiro (Tomo) Kubo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Science and Engineering at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He earned a BS in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2013, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Florida in 2018 under the direction of Professor Brent Sumerlin. During his doctoral work, he focused on developing post-polymerization modification methods for functional polymer synthesis. He then worked with Professor Anne McNeil at the University of Michigan, where he focused on synthesizing well-defined conjugated polymers by catalyst-transfer polymerization. In 2020, he started his current position at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. He has received several awards, including the JST PRESTO award in 2022.
231 Smith Hall