Unlocking Innovative Polymer Crystals through Dynamic Covalent Chemistry: A Captivating Lecture by Professor Wei Zhang

On May 14, 2025, Professor Wei Zhang from University of Colorado Boulder, was invited to visit us and delivered an engaging academic lecture titled ‘Unlocking Innovative Crystalline Polymer Architectures with Dynamic Covalent Chemistry.’

Professor Zhang earned his bachelor’s degree from Peking University. He later completed his Ph.D. under the supervision of Professor Jeffrey Moore at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and pursued postdoctoral research with Professor Timothy Swager at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since 2008, he has been a faculty member at the University of Colorado Boulder. His research focuses on dynamic covalent chemistry, functional polymeric materials, and their applications in energy and environmental science. Professor Zhang is a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the NSF CAREER Award and the Sloan Research Fellowship.

In his lecture, Professor Zhang shared his latest advances in utilizing dynamic covalent chemistry to construct highly ordered polymeric materials. He provided a detailed analysis of the reversibility and error-correction mechanisms of dynamic covalent bonds, which enable the efficient synthesis of low-defect, highly ordered structures—particularly in the construction of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). He then introduced his research group’s recent breakthroughs in boronate ester exchange reactions, showcasing the design of covalently linked polymers with DNA-like helical structures and ICOFs with ultra-high-resolution molecular recognition capabilities. These innovative molecular designs and striking crystal structures impressed the audience and highlighted the vast potential of dynamic covalent chemistry.

During the subsequent discussion session, Professor Zhang engaged in lively conversations with faculty and students on topics such as the strategic selection of dynamic covalent bonds and experimental techniques for crystal cultivation. The atmosphere was vibrant, with a strong spirit of academic exchange.

(Drafted by Zhaolin Zhu，reviewed by Guanglu)