RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Functional sustainable polymers from renewable resources.
Recyclable polymer systems.
Novel catalytic systems for precise synthesis of stereoregular polymers.
EDUCATION AND ACADEMIC CAREER:
2019.03-Present Professor Sichuan University
2017.09-2019.02 Research Scientist II (with Prof. Eugene Y.-X. Chen) Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
2014.09-2017.09 Postdoctoral Research Fellow (with Prof. Eugene Y.-X. Chen) Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA
2009.09-2014-06 Ph.D., Organic Chemistry (Supervisor: Prof. Yong Tang) Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2005.09-2009.06 B.S., Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Sichuan University
HONORS AND AWARDS:
2019 Young Science and Technology Talent Award of Sichuan University.
2019 “1000 Young Talents Global Recruitment Program” Sponsored by Central Government of China.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
20. Cao, Q.; Tu, Y.-M.; Fan, H.-Z.; Shan, S.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Torsional Strain Enabled Ring-Opening Polymerization towards Axially Chiral Semiaromatic Polyesters with Chemically Recyclability. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2024, 63, e202400196. (Selected as Hot Paper)
19. Chen, J.-H.; Tu, Y.-M.; Yao, J.-R.; Tang, X.-X.; Xia, Y.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, J.-B. Accessing Chemically Recyclable Polyamides via Geminal Dimethyl Substitution. Polymer, 2024, 298, 126898.
18. Shan, S.-Y.; Zhang, W.; Cao, Q.; Ye, Y.-C.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Cis-Fused Cyclohexane Promoted the Chemical Recycling of Polycarbonate to Monomer. Polym. Chem. 2024, 15, 1070–1076.
17. Xiong, W.; Dai, J.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Advancing the Material Performance of Chemically Recyclable Polythioesters via Copolymerization. Polymer, 2024, 290, 126515.
16. Huang, H.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Stereoregular Polyhydroxyalkanoates via Ring-Opening Polymerization of rac-β-lactones Catalysed by Spiro-Salen Yttrium Complexes. Chin. Sci. Bull. 2023, 68, 4597–4599. (Invited contribution on popular science)
15. Dai, J.; Xiong, W.; Li, D.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Bifunctional Thiourea-Based Organocatalysts Promoted Kinetic Resolution Polymerization of Racemic Lactide to Isotactic Polylactide. Chem. Commun. 2023, 59, 12731–12734.
14. Wu, Y.-C.; Fan, H.-Z.; Shan, S.-Y.; Wang, S.-Q.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Functionalizable and Recyclable Aliphatic Polycarbonates Derived from Biomass Feedstocks and CO2. Chem. Res. Chin. Univ. 2023, 39, 809–815. (Invited contribution to the special issue on polymer science)
13. Huang, H.-Y.; Xiong, W.; Huang, Y.-T.; Li, K.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Spiro-Salen Catalysts Enable the Chemical Synthesis of Stereoregular Polyhydroxyalkanoates. Nat. Catal. 2023, 6, 720–728. (Highlighted by NSFC)
12. Tu, Y.-M.; Gong, F.-L.; Wu, Y.-C.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Insights into Substitution Strategy towards Thermodynamic and Property Regulation of Chemically Recyclable Polymers. Nat. Commun 2023, 14, 3198.
11. Wang, X.-M.; Huang, H.-Y.; Tu, Y.-M.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Naphthalene Engineering of Chemically Recyclable Polyesters with Enhanced Thermal and Mechanical Properties. Polym. Chem. 2023, 14, 2027–2033. (Invited contribution to the special issue on plastic conversion)
10. Fan, H.-Z.; Yang, X.; Wu, Y.-C.; Cao, Q.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Leveraging the Monomer Structure for High-Performance Chemically Recyclable Semiaromatic Polyesters. Polym. Chem. 2023, 14, 747–753. (Invited contribution to the special issue on plastic conversion; Selected as one of Polymer Chemistry’s most popular 2023 articles)
9. Dai, J.; Xiong, W.; Du, M.-R.; Wu, G.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. A Facile Approach towards High-Performance Poly(thioether-thioester)s with Full Recyclability. Sci. China Chem. 2023, 66, 251–258.
8. Wu, Y.-C.; Fan, H.-Z.; Zhang, W.; Wang, M.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Biobased Bifunctional Monomers toward Functionalizable Polycarbonates and Poly(cyclic olefin)s with Tunable Properties. Macromolecules 2022, 55, 9232–9241.
7. Yang, X.; Fan, H.-Z.; Cai, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, J.-B. Ring-Opening Polymerization of a Benzyl-Protected Cyclic Ester towards Functional Aliphatic Polyester. Chin. J. Chem. 2022, 40, 2973–2980. (Dedicated to the Special Issue of Emerging Investigators in 2022, Selected as Cover Paper)
6. Cai, Z.; Liu, Y.; Tao, Y.-H.; Zhu, J.-B. Recent Advances in Monomer Design for Recyclable Polymers. Acta Chim. Sinica 2022, 80, 1165–1182 (Invited Review, in Chinese, Selected as Cover Paper).
5. Zhu, J.-B. Introducing… Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202202854.
4. Yang, X.; Zhang, W.; Huang, H.-Y.; Dai, J.; Wang, M.-Y.; Fan, H.-Z.; Cai, Z.; Zhang, Q.; Zhu, J.-B. Stereoselective Ring-Opening Polymerization of Lactones with a Fused Ring Leading to Semicrystalline Polyesters. Macromolecules 2022, 55, 2777–2786.
3. Fan, H.-Z.; Yang, X.; Chen, J.-H.; Tu, Y.-M.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Advancing the Development of Recyclable Aromatic Polyesters by Functionalization and Stereocomplexation. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2022, 61, e202117639 (Selected as Hot Paper).
2. Zhang, W.; Dai, J.; Wu, Y.-C.; Chen, J.-X.; Shan, S.-Y.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Highly Reactive Cyclic Carbonates with a Fused Ring toward Functionalizable and Recyclable Polycarbonates. ACS Macro Lett. 2022, 11, 173–178.
1. Tu, Y.-M.; Wang, X.-M.; Yang, X.; Fan, H.-Z.; Gong, F.-L.; Cai, Z.; Zhu, J.-B. Biobased High-Performance Aromatic–Aliphatic Polyesters with Complete Recyclability. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 20591–20597. (Highlighted by NSFC)
Supervised Work (Before 2019)
11. Sangroniz, A.; Zhu, J.-B.; Tang, X.; Etxeberria, A.; Chen, E.-Y. X.; Sardon, H. Packaging Materials with Desired Mechanical and Barrier Properties and Full Chemical Recyclability. Nat. Commun 2019, 10, 3559–3566.
10. Cao, Z.§; Zhu, J.-B.§; Wang, L.; Liao, S.; Tang, Y. A Synthesis of Multifunctionalized Indoles from [3 + 2] Annulation of 2-Bromocyclopropenes with Anilines. Org Lett. 2019, 21, 4097–4100 (§contributed equally).
9. Zhu, J.-B.; Chen, E.-Y. X. Catalyst-Sidearm-Induced Stereoselectivity Switching in Polymerization of a Racemic Lactone for Stereocomplexed Crystalline Polymer with a Circular Life Cycle. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2019, 58, 1178–1182.
8. Zhu, J.-B.; Chen, E.-Y. X. Living Coordination Polymerization of a Six‐Five Bicyclic Lactone to Produce Completely Recyclable Polyester. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 12588–12562.
7. Zhu, J.-B.; Watson, E. M.; Tang, J.; Chen, E.-Y. X. A Synthetic Polymer System with Repeatable Recyclability. Science, 2018, 360, 398–403. Highlighted by Science (Plastics recycling with a difference)，Science News (This plastic can be recycled over and over and over again), C&EN (Strong, stable polymer can be recycled again and again) and The Times (New ‘infinitely recyclable’ plastic created). Selected as the Research of the Year 2018 by C&EN!
6. Zhu, J.-B.; Tang, X.; Falivene, L.; Caporaso, L.; Cavallo, L.; Chen, E.-Y. X. Organocatalytic Coupling of Bromo-Lactide with Cyclic Ethers and Carbonates to Chiral Bromo-Diesters: NHC or Anion Catalysis? ACS Catal. 2017, 7, 3929–3933.
5. Zhu, J.-B.; Chen, E.-Y. X. From meso-Lactide to Isotactic Polylactide: Epimerization by B/N Lewis Pairs and Kinetic Resolution by Organic Catalysts. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, 137, 12506–12509.
4. Zhu, J.-B.; Chen, H.; Liao, S.; Li, Y.-X.; Tang, Y. A Sidearm-assisted Phosphine for Catalytic ylide Intramolecular Cyclopropanation. Org. Chem. Front. 2014, 1, 1035–1039.
3. Zhu, J.-B.; Chen, H.; Wang, L.; Tang, Y. Stereospecific Synthesis of Highly Functionalized Benzo[3.1.0]bicycloalkanes via Multistep Cascade Reactions. Org. Chem. Front. 2014, 1, 965–968.
2. Zhu, J.-B.; Wang P.; Liao, S.; Tang, Y. PPh3-mediated Intramolecular Conjugation of Alkyl Halides with Electron-deficient Olefins: Facile Synthesis of Chromans and Relevant Analogues, Chem. Commun. 2013, 49, 4570–4572.
1. Zhu, J.-B.; Wang, P.; Liao, S.; Tang, Y. Ylide Hydrolysis in Tandem Reactions: A Highly Z/E-Selective Access to 3-Alkylidene Dihydrobenzofurans and Related Analogues. Org. Lett. 2013, 15, 3054–3057.
ISSUED PATENTS
2.Chen, E. Y.-X.; Zhu, J.-B. “Recyclable Polymers Based on Ring-Fused Gamma-Butyrolactones”, U.S. Pat. 10,759,899 B2, 2020.
1. Chen, E. Y.-X.; Zhu, J.-B. “Transformation of Meso-Lactide”, U.S. Pat. 10,174,161 B2, 2019.
