Biography: Nobuhiko Hosono received his Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the University of Tokyo in 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he worked at Eindhoven University of Technology as a research fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). In 2014, he was promoted to Assistant Professor of the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University. In 2018, he was appointed Lecturer at The University of Tokyo. In 2021, he was appointed to Associate Professor of Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo.

Abstract: Molecular separation is one of the most energy-intensive industrial processes, primarily due to the inadequate efficacy of current separation methods. This issue becomes critical when it comes to large macromolecular compounds. Our group has been focusing on developing new technologies for separating polymers using crystalline nanoporous media: metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). We recently discovered that MOFs can adsorb polymers in their nanopores. During the adsorption process, even the slightest differences in polymer structures are recognized, enabling high-precision polymer separation. This has allowed us to distinguish the differences in terminal groups, topology, and even monomer sequences of polymers, which were previously impossible using conventional methods.