Yves Gnanou

Yves Gnanou is a French chemist, academic and author. He is the Ibn Alhaytham Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology.

Gnanou is most known for his works on chain polymerization mechanisms and the creation of diverse polymeric structures using synthesis methods. His research also extends to organocatalysis in polymerization, macromolecular engineering, functional polymers for biomedical uses, living chain polymerizations, polymeric nanoparticles and branched polymers. Among his authored works are his publications in academic journals, including Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), Angewandte Chemie, Progress in Polymer Science, Nature Communications, ChemSusChem and Macromolecules as well as books such as Chimie et Physico-Chimie des Polymères and Organic and Physical Chemistry of Polymers. He received the 2003 Langevin Prize from the French Physical Society and the Berthelot Medal from the French Academy of Sciences.

Education Gnanou completed his M.S. in Polymer Chemistry from the Université Louis Pasteur. Later in 1985, he obtained a Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from the same institution.

Gnanou holds patents to inventions involving synthesizing polycarbonates and polycarbamates via chain-growth copolymerization using a Lewis acid, combining CO2 with oxirane or thiirane moieties and heteroallene reactants like isocyanates or isothiocyanates.

Research Gnanou's research portfolio includes articles and books covering areas such as living/controlled chain polymerization, metal-free chemical synthesis, and macromolecular engineering. In 2000, he co-authored a paper in JACS, wherein he investigated the controlled radical polymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate using an acyclic β-phosphonylated nitroxide as moderator, examining kinetics, equilibrium, and rate constants, reaching a pseudo-stationary state, and comparing experimental results with PREDICI software simulations. His 2005 study on macromolecular engineering reviewed recent advancements in the synthesis, stabilization, and biomedical applications of copolymer-based nanomaterials, emphasizing the self-assembly of block copolymers and the development of environmentally responsive 'smart materials'. He contributed to the field of organocatalysis with a paper published in 2013, wherein he reviewed the roles of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) in molecular and polymer chemistry, highlighting their electronic properties, synthesis methods, functional group activation, and their application in metal-free polymer synthesis and as structural components in polymer chains.

In 2016, Gnanou disclosed a method using a binary system associating triethyl borane with onium salts for efficient synthesis of polycarbonate polyols from CO2 and epoxides, highlighting high selectivity, productivity, and potential for cost-effective large-scale production. In 2017, he and his co-authors discussed advancements in synthesizing complex macromolecular architectures in polymers using controlled/living polymerization techniques in a review paper. They emphasized the impact of these advancements on polymer physical chemistry, applications, and the inspiration drawn from natural non-covalent chemistry for future developments. Later in 2023, he designed borinane-based bifunctional catalysts with remarkably high activity that could be used in the presence of transfer agents for the same purpose of polycarbonate synthesis.

Gnanou has also authored several books. His 2007 textbooks are titled Chimie et Physico-Chimie des Polymères

Awards and honors 1993 – Polymer Division Award, French Society of Chemistry 2003 – Berthelot Medal, French Academy of Sciences. 2011 – Chevalier dans l’ordre des Palmes Académiques 2013 – Chevalier dans l’ordre de la Légion d’Honneur