Department of Chemical Engineering Seminar 2025-Dr. Konstantinos Ntetsikas (KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST))

Abstract

In this presentation, I will outline key aspects of my past and current research along with my future scientific research directions. I will highlight how anionic polymerization enables the design of precision polymer architectures for emerging applications and provides a platform to study structure-property relationships. Selected projects will be discussed, highlighting the synthetic methodologies and characterization techniques that utilized.

Speakers Short CV

Dr. Konstantinos Ntetsikas is a Research Scientist (R4) in the Polymer Synthesis Laboratory of the KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He studied at the Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Ioannina, Greece and received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the same department, working on complex macromolecular architectures under the supervision of Prof. Apostolos Avgeropoulos. His research focuses on the precise synthesis of linear and non-linear polymers—primarily via living anionic polymerization and high-vacuum techniques—to elucidate structure–property relationships and design materials for advanced applications. His expertise spans vitrimers, non-covalent supramolecular polymers, bio-based monomers, functionalized polyolefins, star and cyclic architectures, organic/inorganic hybrids, and block copolymers for membrane technologies. Dr. Ntetsikas has co-written several major funded proposals (including RDIA, DOW, and KAUST CRG projects) and has authored 52 peer-reviewed publications (2 as corresponding author), 2 book chapters, and one patent. He has delivered invited and contributed talks at major international conferences and serves as reviewer for leading journals (i.e., Macromolecules, ACS Macro Letters, Angewandte Chemie, and Polymer Chemistry among others). His current work focuses on well-defined vitrimers, bio-based elastomers, and complex copolymer architectures for sustainable and high-performance materials.