ICReDD Principal Investigator Professor Jian Ping Gong received a Commendation for Science and Technology by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in the research category Prizes for Science and Technology. These prizes are awarded once a year to individuals who produced outstanding research results.
Professor Gong received the prize for the creation of tough gels and the elucidation of the mechanism behind their toughness. In the prize-winning study, a principle that dramatically improves the strength and toughness of a material by introducing a fragile sacrificial bond structure to the material has been established. Using this principle, various high strength and toughness soft materials have been developed. Recently, Professor Gong’s team has developed a technique that allows the double network gels to toughen in response to physical stress.
Using chemical reaction design, the properties of the gel can be fine-tuned for many promising applications in medicine and rehabilitation.