Prof. Yan Xia received his BS degree in chemistry from Peking University, MSc degree from McMaster University, and PhD degree from Caltech in 2010. He then worked at Dow Chemical Company as a senior chemist followed by a postdoc at MIT. He joined the chemistry department at Stanford University in 2013 and is now an associate professor. His research group is interested in leveraging unusual molecular structures and reactivities in polymer designs to probe fundamental questions and tackle technological challenges.

2025 NASA Symp

Designing polymers with high mechanical performance and circular lifecycle

Polymer materials with excellent thermomechanical performance are critical for many aerospace, transportation, and construction applications. Understanding the molecular mechanism for the mechanical response of polymers under stress can advance our design in such materials. At the same time, high performance materials are built to last and withstand harsh conditions, but this robust nature makes their recycling challenging. We have developed chemical strategies to enable deconstruction and recycling of high performance polymers, without compromising their robustness, processability, and material performance.