Prof. Rowan was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and received his PhD in Chemistry (1995) from the University of Glasgow. He undertook postdoctoral studies at the University of Cambridge and UCLA. From 1999 until 2016 he was a Professor at Case Western Reserve University. In 2016, he joined the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago. He has a staff appointment at Argonne National Laboratory and is the Editor-in-Chief of ACS Macro Letters.

2024 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

The concept of a pluripotent material is best explained by analogy to stem cells, which are pluripotent as they can give rise to different cell types. Thus, a “stem plastic” has the capability of being converted into different classes of plastic material. Given weight limitations when traveling in space the concept of pluripotent plastics that can be converted into very different materials depending on need, is an attractive one. The question, therefore, is “how can we design pluripotent materials? We have been investigating dynamic covalent networks combined with tempering procedures (heating to a precise temperature below a critical point then rapidly cooling) as one route to such materials. Key to this behavior is the use of labile, dynamic thia-Michael (tM) bonds that allow access to dynamic reaction-induced phase separated (DRIPS) networks. These materials show a range of room temperature properties from brittle and glassy (E = 1500 MPa, b = 10 %) to soft and extensible (E = 200 MPa, b = 250 %) with a simple change in tempering temperature (from 60 to 110 °C) without requiring any external chemical modification or additives. Data shows that the films retain their mechanical properties for over a month. It was demonstrated that films tempered at 60 °C could be used as utensils (e.g., spoon or fork) and films tempered at 110 °C were pressure sensitive adhesives. Our latest work in this area will be discussed.

2023 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

The concept of a pluripotent material is best explained by analogy to stem cells, which are pluripotent as they can give rise to different cell types. Thus, a “stem plastic” has the capability of being converted into different classes of plastic material. Given weight limitations when traveling in space the concept of pluripotent plastics that can be converted into very different materials depending on need, is an attractive one. The question, therefore, is “how can we design pluripotent materials? We have been investigating dynamic covalent networks combined with tempering or training procedures as one route to such materials.

2022 CME NASA Symposium Abstract

The concept of a pluripotent material is best explained by analogy to stem cells, which are pluripotent as they can give rise to different cell types. Thus, “stem plastic” has the capability of being converted into different classes of plastic material. Given weight limitations when traveling in space the concept of pluripotent plastics that can be converted into very different materials depending on need, is an attractive one. The question, therefore, is “how can we design pluripotent materials?”