20 | December 2021 www.facs.website Supramolecular Polymerization: Personal History and Outlook Takuzo Aida Takuzo Aida obtained his D.Eng. in Polymer Chemistry from The University of Tokyo in 1984 and began his academic career, working on precision polymer synthesis as an assistant professor at the same university. In 1996, he was promoted to full professor of Chemistry and Biotechnology in the School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo. Since 2013, he has been serving as Deputy Director of the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science. He is recognized as a pioneer in the field of supramolecular polymers and has expanded the basic concept into a diverse range of functional materials such as “bucky gels”, “aqua materials”, and self-healable polymers. He has been recognized by numerous awards, including the Japan Academy Prize (2018), the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2020), and the U. S. National Academy of Engineering (2021). Kiyoshi Morishita Kiyoshi Morishita was born and raised in Canada and received his B.A.Sc. in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo, Canada in 2016. Thereafter he moved to Japan to pursue his graduate studies with Professor Takuzo Aida at the University of Tokyo. He obtained his M.Eng. in 2019 and is now a doctoral student, with a Research Fellowship for Young Scientists (DC1) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). His research interests include supramolecular, nanoparticle, and polymer chemistry and the functionalization and assembly of proteins. His current project is focused on the supramolecular assembly of the biomolecular machine GroEL into materials with various structures. Outside of the lab he enjoys dragon boat racing, cycling and photography. 2020 was a very special year for polymer science as the 100-year anniversary of its initiation by Staudinger. The past 100 years have been a prosperous time for polymer science, filled with discovery and innovation. Since plastics are lightweight, mechanically robust, and cheap, their use has proliferated, becoming pervasive in all sectors of society and ushering in the so-called heyday of plastics. At the same time however, the plastics and rubbers developed by polymer science have caused catastrophic damage to the environment as long-lasting wastes continue to accumulate in the disposable age. Incinerating these materials generates carbon dioxide, which accelerates global warming, while dumping them into the ocean results in their eventual disintegration into microplastics, small pieces that are consumed and accumulate in the food chain. As of 2015, only 9% of the 6300 million metric tons of plastics produced had been recycled,1 and unless farreaching policies are adopted in the next decade to change the social structure that has so far been dependent on disposable polymers, global warming will continue to accelerate and it will certainly be difficult to pass on a livable earth to future generations. Although this crisis is widely acknowledged, society has thus far been unable to give up such convenient and cheap materials. If we fail to shift our economic priorities or invent new materials as alternatives, it will be impossible to escape from this plastic world.
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