Plenary talks

Costantino Creton (ESPCI Paris, France)

Effect of network architecture on crack initiation: experiments and simulations (2026-06-25, 12:10)

Costantino Creton is currently CNRS Directeur de Recherche (Full Professor) at the ESPCI Paris – PSL in Paris, France. His group is widely known for its work on polymer-polymer adhesion and for establishing a new framework on the mechanisms of debonding of soft and stretchable adhesives, bridging the scale of polymer architecture to the macroscopic scale. After a first period focusing on mechanics, he started collaborating ever more closely with polymer chemists to link the molecular structure and architecture with its macroscopic properties specializing in the analysis of the large strain and non-linear behavior processes, such as cavitation, elongation at high strain rate, adhesion mechanisms and fracture.

In 2007, his group started a new activity focusing on fracture of hydrogels and elastomers. Many new approaches have been developed, focusing on understanding the mechanisms underlying toughness in soft polymer-based materials. Research has focused on the effect of dynamic bonds and on permanent damage (sacrificial bonds) on fracture of networks including hydrogels and elastomers. His group also pioneered the transposition of the concept of double network hydrogels to elastomers and was one of the fisrt groups to use optical probes to detect stress and molecualr damage during fracture of elastomers. In recent years the focus has been on the implementation of mechanochemical tools (in particular optical probes) to shed light on the toughening mechanisms of soft polymer networks. A recent collaboration with the group of Kirsten martens and Jean-Louis Barrat, combining experiments and molecular dynamics simulations has yielded insights on the role played by network architecture on macroscopic failure.

The approaches of the Creton group have always leveraged two mutually complementary strategies: Basic scientific questions on model systems in collaboration with polymer chemists for controlled design, and with solid mechanics groups for quantitative modeling, and industrial collaborations for relevance and transposition of concept to applications.

Marleen Kamperman (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)

Bio-inspired Processing of Polyelectrolyte Complexes (2026-06-23, 8:30)

Marleen Kamperman is Professor of Polymer Science at the University of Groningen. Inspired by natural material systems, her research focuses on how processing pathways can be used to create advanced functional materials. A central theme in her work is the use of complex coacervates – dense, liquid-like macromolecular phases – as intermediates for materials fabrication.

Her group studies how combinations of noncovalent interactions, such as electrostatic, hydrophobic, and hydrogen-bonding interactions, can be selectively activated and tuned to control material behavior. By exploiting environmental triggers such as ionic strength, pH, and temperature, they design systems in which materials can be shaped in a fluid state and subsequently reinforced in a controlled manner. This approach enables the translation of gradual, stimulus-driven assembly processes – commonly found in biological systems – into synthetic materials design.

A key objective of the group is to move toward controlled assembly in space and time, where structure formation is guided through gradual changes rather than abrupt transitions. This allows precise control over alignment, porosity, mechanical properties, and functionality, and opens routes to materials with hierarchical organization and improved performance.

To realize this, the group combines polymer synthesis, molecular self-assembly, and advanced processing techniques, including microfluidics and additive manufacturing. They develop novel (block co-)polyelectrolytes and coacervate-based systems for a wide range of applications, including underwater adhesives, 3D-printed scaffolds and bioinks, protein-based fibers, antifouling coatings, and soft functional materials. 

Michael Rubinstein (Duke, USA)

The Art of Network Design (2026-06-22, 8:50)

Michael Rubinstein is Aleksander S. Vesic Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry at Duke University. He received a B.S. in physics from Caltech in 1979 and a Ph.D. in 1983 from Harvard University, where he specialized in condensed matter physics. As a post-doc at AT&T Bell Laboratories, he started his career in polymer physics by developing theoretical models of polymer entanglements and dynamics of polydisperse polymer melts. Michael Rubinstein continued his research at Eastman Kodak Company, where he built theoretical models of polyelectrolyte solutions, sol-gel transition, associating polymers, and reversible networks, such as sticky Rouse and sticky reptation models.

In 1995, Michael Rubinstein started his academic career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he continued theoretical studies of polymeric systems, such as block copolymer micelles, bottlebrushes, self-assembly of nanoparticles with grafted polymers, and mobility of nanoparticles in polymer matrices. At UNC, Michael Rubinstein became interested in biological systems, building an experimental program and developing theoretical models of the airway surface layer, physical properties of mucus, and its implications for airway diseases. In 2017, he moved to Duke University, where he expanded the scope of his soft matter research by studying the mechanical properties of elastomers and gels, as well as the conformation and dynamics of chromatin, intrinsically disordered proteins, and RNA.

In 2003, he published a “Polymer Physics” textbook with R. H. Colby. In 2010, he received the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society. In 2016, Rubinstein became a Distinguished Professor at Hokkaido University. In 2018, he received the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology, and in 2019, the Soft Matter and Biophysical Chemistry Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry. In 2025, he received the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry. Rubinstein is currently serving as the Chair of the IUPAP Commission on Soft Matter and the Chair of the Soft Matter Association of the Americas. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, Society of Rheology, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

PNG Award: Oguz Okay (Istanbul Technical University)

My Forty-Eight Years with Hydrogels (2026-06-21, 19:20, Hilton Hotel Dresden)

Oguz Okay is a Professor of Physical Chemistry at Istanbul Technical University and a principal member of the Turkish Academy of Sciences. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Istanbul in 1977, and a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from Vienna Technical University, Austria, in 1981. He has served as a visiting professor at the University of Stuttgart, Technical University of Dresden, Technical University of Clausthal, and Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin. He has received several awards, including the Georg-Forster Research Award, Germany (2015), the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBITAK) Science Award (2005), the Turkish Chemical Society Honorary Member Award (2006), and the Sedat Simavi Natural Sciences Award (1995). His research focuses on the design and synthesis of soft and smart polymeric materials. His group has been a leading contributor in the areas of hydrogels, self-healing materials, macroporous polymers, organogels, and rubber elasticity. He holds six patents and has published around 230 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals with about 20,000 citations. (H-index 74).

Between 1985 and 2000, Oguz Okay’s research group focused on the formation mechanism of macroporous copolymer networks resulting from phase separation during the free-radical crosslinking copolymerization of vinyl and divinyl monomers in the presence of an inert diluent. Special attention was given to preparation techniques for macroporous networks to highlight new synthesis strategies. His group also developed theoretical models that accurately predict the phase separation conditions during the crosslinking process, as well as the total porosity of the resulting macroporous networks. Okay's review of this subject in Progress in Polymer Science received more than 1000 citations. In subsequent years, his group focused on swelling, elasticity, and spatial inhomogeneity in hydrogels. The group also expanded the application of the cryogelation technique to organic media to produce high-toughness macroporous organogels based on various rubbers. They patented these macroporous rubbers as reusable oil sorbents for the removal of oil spills from water, which is very important for the whole world.

Hydrogel research in his group has shifted over the past 20 years from static, covalently cross-linked systems toward dynamic and multifunctional architectures. The hydrophobically modified hydrogels we developed exemplify this transition, as reversible hydrophobic associations act as physical cross-links that enhance toughness, dissipate energy, and enable self-healing. Micellar polymerization further allows the formation of transient hydrophobic domains, yielding materials with tunable mechanics and adaptive behavior. The incorporation of semicrystalline domains broadens the accessible property range by combining stiffness, toughness, extensibility, and shape-memory functionality, reflecting a broader move toward bioinspired hydrogel design.

Research Award:  Tao Xie  (Zhejiang University, China)

Non-equilibrium dynamic polymer networks (2026-06-24, 16:00)

Bio: Tao Xie is Qiushi chair professor at the College of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University. He obtained B.S. in chemistry from Zhejiang University and Ph. D in polymer science and engineering from University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 2001. He had since worked at the General Motors Global Research Lab and HRL Laboratories before returning to China in 2013. He is the inventor of over 100 patents and a recipient of Stoddard Science Fund Scholar Award (2026), Wang Baoren Award (2019, Chinese Chemical Society), and R&D 100 award (2013) and. He is an elected fellow of ACS PMSE division, Executive Editor for ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, and an advisory board member of National Science Foundation of China (chemistry division).

Tao Xie’s research centers on rational design of dynamic polymer networks, leading to accomplishments in three areas: shape memory polymer (SMP), sustainable thermoset chemistry, and 3D printing of photo-polymer networks.

SMP. Classical SMP have three major limitations: the number of temporary shape is limited; the permanent shape cannot be programmed; the shape recovery requires external stimulation. In 2010, I discovered a multi-shape effect (Nature 2010, 464, 267) that allows an SMP with a single thermal transition to simultaneously fix more than three temporary shapes. In 2016, my group (Sci. Adv. 2016, 2, e1501297) established a new class of SMP for which the permanent shape can be defined by mechanical programming via dynamic bond exchange, instead of molding. Utilizing the strong time-dependence of reversible phase separation in an SMP network, my group in 2023 devised a mechanism that allows trigger-free shape-shifting (Nature 2023, 622, 748). These discoveries markedly broaden the functional scope of SMP for applications in challenging environments.

Sustainable thermoset chemistry. 3D photo-printing typically yields thermoset polymers that are difficult to recycle. We discovered thermally reversible photo-click reaction between aromatic aldehyde and thiol (Science 2025, 388, 170). This leads to the first example of polycondensation based 3D printing chemistry for which the printed network can be closed-loop recycled. Recycling of thermoset polyurethane foams represent a persistent challenge for decades. Instead of complete network degradation to recover the monomers (conventional approach), we devised a partial degradation strategy to deconstruct the network into oligomers (Nat. Chem. 2023, 15,1773), which are subsequently transformed into high performance 3D photo-printing precursors. This upcycling strategy via oligomers instead of monomers offers a promising route for recycling commodity thermosets.

High performance 3D printing. Controlling polymer topologies is central in polymer chemistry. Within current knowledge, polymer topologies are determined in the synthesis step and cannot be altered afterwards without altering the composition. We established a concept of topology isomerizable network (Sci. Adv., 2020, 6, eaaz2362) by which a polymer network after its synthesis can spontaneously evolve into completely different topologies. Applying this principle to 3D printing (Nature 2024, 631, 783) yields photo-elastomers with mechanical performances far exceeding existing counterparts. This overcomes a major obstacle for mass manufacturing of 3D printing.