Krzysztof Matyjaszewski is the J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University. A world‑leading polymer chemist, he discovered atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), a breakthrough that transformed controlled polymer synthesis and enabled advanced materials for energy, biomedicine, coatings, and sustainability. He has authored more than 1,300 publications, including extensive work in ACS Macro Letters, Macromolecules, Chemical Reviews, and other leading ACS journals, with over 200,000 citations and an h‑index above 200. He received his MS and PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences. His honors include the 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry, the Dreyfus Prize in Chemical Sciences, the Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie, the ACS New York Section Nichols Medal, and election as Fellow of ACS, NAS, and NAE.

2026 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

Macromolecular Engineering by Controlled Radical Polymerization
Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, Carnegie Mellon University, Center for Macromolecular Engineering, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA

Various well-defined polymers with precisely controlled macromolecular architecture were prepared under environmentally benign conditions, with ppm of catalysts, in an aqueous environment, and in open-air with temporal control by light, electrical current, mechanical forces, or benign chemicals such as ascorbic acid. The dynamic exchange between active radicals and dormant species catalyzed by ppm amounts of copper catalyst in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) or by degenerative transfer (RAFT) enabled access to uniform star, comb, bottlebrush, or cyclic polymers with controlled chain composition, such as block, gradient, or periodic structures. Macromolecular engineering provided access to designed bioconjugates by covalently linking synthetic polymers with proteins or nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and attaching polymers to inorganic surfaces such as nanoparticles or flat wafers. Such well-defined polymers and hybrid materials outperform conventional commercial products; they can self-assemble, self-repair, depolymerize back to monomers, and respond to external stimuli. They find applications in the areas of biomedicine, environment, and energy.