Zhongzheng Cai

Zhongzheng Cai works on designing new plastics (polymers) that can be chemically broken back down into their starting materials and reused, an approach aimed at making plastic production more circular and less wasteful. Much of the work involves ring-opening polymerization, a chemical reaction that builds polymer chains from ring-shaped monomer molecules, and uses control over the polymer's molecular structure (its stereochemistry and sequence) to achieve strong, durable materials that still remain recyclable. This research spans materials like polyesters, polycarbonates, polyamides, and polythioesters, often targeting high-performance or elastic plastics as alternatives to conventional non-recyclable ones.

Publication output has grown substantially over the past decade, rising from just a few papers per year in 2017-2020 to a sustained pace of roughly 10-15 papers annually from 2021 onward.

Generated by claude-sonnet-5 from public bibliographic data · Jul 20, 2026