Feature ArticleRadical addition–fragmentation chemistry in polymer synthesis
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Graeme Moad obtained BSc Honours (1st Class) in 1974 and Ph.D. in 1977 from the University of Adelaide in the field of Organic Free Radical Chemistry. Between 1977 and 1979 he undertook postdoctoral research at Pennsylvania State University in the field of Biological Organic Chemistry. He joined CSIRO as a research scientist in 1979 and is currently a chief research scientist. He is also a project leader in the CRC for Polymers. Dr. Moad is author or coauthor of more than 120 papers in refereed journals, co-inventor on more that 25 patent families (including five relating to the RAFT process) and coauthor of the book “The Chemistry of Radical Polymerization” which is now in a second edition. His research interests lie in the fields of polymer design and synthesis (free radical polymerization, reactive extrusion), polymerization kinetics and mechanism and most recently polymer nanocomposites.
Ezio Rizzardo is a CSIRO Fellow in the CSIRO Division of Molecular & Health Technologies (Melbourne). He graduated with First Class Honours in Applied Organic Chemistry from the University of NSW and was awarded a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry by the University of Sydney in 1969 for his studies on the photochemistry of organic nitro compounds with John Pinhey. He joined David Solomon's group at CSIRO in 1976 after postdoctoral work on the synthesis of biologically active compounds with Richard Turner at Rice University (Houston), Sir Derek Barton at the Research Institute for Medicine and Chemistry (Boston), and Arthur Birch at the Australian National University (Canberra). At CSIRO he turned his attention to polymer science and has led research teams in the fields of Free Radical Polymerization, Polymeric Biomaterials and Engineering Polymers, and was the inaugural Director of the Cooperative Research Centre for Polymer Blends. His principal research interests are in the development of methods for understanding and controlling polymerization processes so as to produce polymers of better-defined structure and properties. Research highlights from the teams he has led include radical trapping with nitroxides, nitroxide mediated polymerization, chain transfer and ring-opening polymerization by addition–fragmentation, and the RAFT process. He is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the recipient of the Australian Polymer Medal, the CSIRO Chairman's Gold Medal and the Australian Government's Centenary Medal for contributions to society and polymer science.
San H. Thang arrived in Brisbane, Australia as a refugee from Vietnam in 1979. He completed his B.Sc. (Hons) in 1983 with Prof. Gus Guthrie and Ph.D. in 1987 under the supervision of Drs. Jenkins and Busfield (Griffith University) and Drs. Rizzardo and Solomon (CSIRO). San joined CSIRO in 1986 as a Research Fellow, and then moved to ICI Australia Research Group in late 1987 to undertake the challenge of industrial research in UV sunscreens and agrochemicals. He re-joined CSIRO in late 1990 and currently is a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Molecular and Health Technologies where his research focuses primarily on the interface between organic and polymer chemistry. San is a leading expert in the field of free radical chemistry and polymer chemistry. He has developed and held several key inventions in the area of controlled/living radical polymerization. Significantly, he is a co-inventor of the living radical polymerization by reversible addition–fragmentation chain transfer (the RAFT process).