Education

B.S., 1997, Nanjing University
Ph.D., 2006, Carnegie Mellon University

Honors and Awards

Senior Editor: Progress in Polymer Science

ACS Outreach Volunteer of the Year Award for the South Carolina Section, 2023; NSF Special Creativity Award, 2022; Fellow of American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, 2021; President’s Coin of Excellence, University of South Carolina, 2021; Fellow of American Association for the Advancement of Science; 2020; Russell Research Award for the Science, Mathematics, and Engineering, University of South Carolina, 2020; POLY Fellow of American Chemical Society, 2018; Kavli Fellow of National Academy of Sciences, 2018; ACS Outreach Volunteer of the Year Award for the South Carolina Section, 2018; Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, 2017; Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, 2017; South Carolina Governor’s Award for Young Scientist for Excellence in Scientific Research, 2016; Distinguished Undergraduate Research Mentor Award, University of South Carolina, 2015;  ACS PMSE Young Investigator, 2014;  NSF Career Award, 2013; Thieme Chemistry Journal Award, 2013;  USC Breakthrough Rising Star, 2013.

Research Interests

Organic polymer synthesis, controlled polymerization, sustainability research, biobased polymers from natural resources, antimicrobial molecules and polymers, biomaterials, metal-containing polymers, polymer membranes for energy applications.

Our research advances the fields of bioplastics, metallopolymers, and biomaterials, particularly promoting sustainability efforts. We have made fundamental contributions in polymer chemistry to develop sustainable polymers from renewable resources and envisioned macromolecular engineering approaches to enhancing thermal and mechanical properties of bioplastics. We have devised methodologies for synthesizing metallocene-based polymers, leading to new applications, including alkaline fuel cell membranes and stimuli-responsive mechanochemistry. We have visionary designs of (macro)molecular compositions with antimicrobial properties for enhancing conventional antibiotics and for fighting vexing multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Prof. Tang holds multiple editorships and serves as the director of SmartState Center for Polymer Nanocomposites/Polymers and the director of NSF Center for Polymers for a Circular Economy (CCI Phase I).  

Sustainable Polymers

We have established an exciting research program on the transformation of diverse biomass into sustainable intermediates, monomers and polymers. This research area is highly important because it lays the foundation for the development of sustainable plastics for the next 100 years of polymer science. Our most notable contribution lies in innovative designs of macromolecular structures and compositions that significantly enhance thermal and mechanical properties of bioplastics, setting the stage for the community to follow. Our work extends to the development of efficient chemical processes to convert fatty acids and plant oils into versatile thermoplastics, elastomers, and advanced biobased composites. Our design of fatty acid-derived polyamides could have a significant impact on the polyolefin industry by producing property-mimicking bioplastics (Nat. Commun. 2019, Chem 2021). We have also tackled one of the field's fundamental challenges—chain entanglements—by devising various approaches, such as ultra-high molecular weight polymers, pentablock architectures, supramolecular entanglement, and dynamic crosslinking (Macromolecules 2023, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015). These contributions are fundamental for the sustainable polymer science community. Our insights into the future of sustainability in polymer science are encapsulated in foundational review articles, providing critical guidance for the field's evolution. (Nat. Rev. Chem 2021, Prog. Polym. Sci. 2020).

Antimicrobial Research

The development of robust, selective and efficient antimicrobial agents in large quantities and low cost is essential to prevent bacteria-associated infections. We are developing robust antimicrobial materials derived from natural products that exhibit high antimicrobial activities against a broad spectrum of bacteria while maintaining selective lysis on bacterial cell membranes without inducing significant hemolysis of red blood cells over a wide range of concentrations. We have expanded the horizons of biomaterial design by utilizing large cross-sectional molecular building blocks, including resin acids and bile acids, as essential moieties for facially amphiphilic antimicrobial polymers. This innovative approach addresses the critical issue of Gram-negative bacterial infections (Biomaterials 2023, Nat. Commun. 2018, Chem. Sci. 2014). Our visionary bio-conjugation of cationic metallopolymers offers a promising avenue for combating multi-drug resistant bacteria by revitalizing traditional antibiotics, both β-lactam and non-lactam (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2023, Nat. Commun. 2018, JACS 2014).  

Metallopolymers

We have devoted significant efforts in designing metallopolymers, reshaping the landscape of organometallics in macromolecular applications. We have developed synthetic methodologies for metallocene monomers and polymers with precise control over their compositions and chemistry. Our lab's focus on novel organometallic derivatives as modular building blocks for complex macromolecule synthesis has yielded important breakthroughs. These findings have paved the way for advancements in stress-responsive mechanochemistry and the creation of advanced materials, such as alkaline anion-exchange membranes for fuel cells. Our work in designing ultra-stable cobaltocenium cations has enabled the fabrication of metallopolymer membranes suitable for use in highly oxidative, alkaline, and humid environments (JACS 2020, ACIE 2018). Recent research in mechanochemistry has opened new frontiers, revealing insights into stress-responsive chemical reactions and the fundamental mechanisms of chain scission (JACS 2021, Nat. Chem 2021). 

Selected Publications

Kurnaz L. B.; Barman S.; Yang X.; Fisher C.; Outten F. W.; Nagarkatti P.; Nagarkatti M.; Tang C. Facial Amphiphilic Naphthoic Acid-Derived Antimicrobial Polymers Against Multi-Drug Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria and Biofilms. Biomaterials, 2023, 301, 122275. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122275

Ganewatta M. S.; Wang Z.; Tang C. Chemical Syntheses of Bioinspired Biomimetic Polymers toward Biobased Materials. Nat. Rev. Chem. 2021, 5, 753–772. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41570-021-00325-x 

Cha Y.; Zhu T.; Sha Y.; Lin H.; Hwang J.; Seraydarian M.; Craig S. L.; Tang C. Mechanochemistry of Cationic Cobaltocenium Mechanophore. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2021, 143, 11871-11878. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.1c05233 

Zhang Y.; Wang Z.; Kouznetsova T. B.; Sha Y.; Xu E.; Shannahan L.; Fermen-Coker M.; Tang C.; Craig S. L. Distal Conformational Locks on Ferrocene Mechanophores Guide Reaction Pathways for Increased Mechanochemical Reactivity. Nat. Chem. 2021, 13, 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41557-020-00600-2 

Zhu T.; Sha Y.; Adabi H.; Peng X.; Cha Y.; Smith M. D.; Dissanayake M. M.; Vannucci A. K.; Mustain W. E.; Tang C. Rational Synthesis of Metallo-Cations Toward Redox- and Alkaline-Stable Metallo-Polyelectrolytes. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 1083-1089. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.9b12051

Song L.; Zhu T.; Yuan L.; Zhou J.; Zhang Y.; Wang Z.; Tang C. Ultra-strong Long-Chain Polyamide Elastomers with Programmable Supramolecular Interactions and Oriented Crystalline Microstructures. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 1315. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09218-6

Rahman M. A.; Bam M.; Luat E.; Jui M. S.; Shokfai T.; Nagarkatti M.; Decho A. W.; Tang C. Macromolecular-Clustered Facial Amphiphilic Antimicrobials. Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 5231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07651-7

Wang Z.; Yuan L.; Tang C. Sustainable Elastomers from Renewable Biomass, Acc. Chem. Res. 2017, 50, 1762-1773. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.accounts.7b00209