Invited by Prof. Pengzhan Sun, Prof. Dong Meng, Associate Professor of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, visited IAPME on December 6, 2024, as part of the IAPME Seminar Series. During his visit, he delivered an insightful presentation titled “Noncovalent π-stacked Organic Framework (πOF).” The seminar was hosted by Prof. Pengzhan Sun.
Prof. Meng, who pioneered the concept of π-stacked organic frameworks, received PhD degree in the Institute of Chemistry at Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017. From 2017 to 2023, he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He was awarded with National Young Overseas High-Level Talents, Shanghai Young Overseas High-Level Talents, Fellow of International Association of Advanced Materials, IAAM Young Scientist Award, Vebleo Fellow Jr. and Chinese Dean of Science Institute Award.
During his talk, Prof. Meng highlighted the significant advantages of novel porous organic molecular materials based on non-covalent interactions, particularly π-stacked organic frameworks (πOFs), over metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs). πOFs form crystalline networks through π-π interactions, providing flexibility, reversibility, conductivity, solution processability, self-healing capability, high carrier mobility, and excellent stability. Based on these characteristics, Prof. Meng vividly introduces the applications of πOFs in targeted drug delivery and photocatalysis, etc., and shares the wonderful results they have achieved in their lab.
The seminar offered attendees a fresh perspective on organic porous frameworks. During the Q&A session, Prof. Meng engaged enthusiastically with the audience. Additionally, in response to students’ questions, Prof. Meng entered the lab to conduct a practical demonstration for IAPME PhD students.
