AWARDEE OF CHEMISTRY PRIZE

WANG FOSONG

Wang Fosong, a polymer chemist, was born on May 23, 1933 in Xinnin City, Guangdong Province.  He completed his university education and had his first degree in the Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University.  Wang received his Ph.D. degree of chemical science in Institute of Highmolecular Compounds, Academy of Sciences, former Soviet Union in 1960.  After return to China, he worked as the assistant professor, associate professor, professor and director of the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).  From 1979 to 1981, he worked as visiting professor in Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of CNR, Italy.  Professor Wang became a vice president of CAS from 1988 to 1994 and was elected the academician of CAS in 1991 and academician of the Third World Academy of Sciences in 2000.  He is currently chairman of Chemistry Division and executive member of the Presidium of CAS, Vice President of the Chinese Petroleum Society, chairman of the Polymer Division, Chinese Chemistry Society, an honorable Professor at the South-China University of Technology, a pluralistic professor at Zhejiang University, University of Science and Technology of China, Zhongshan University, and member of the Standing Committee, 8th & 9th National People's Congress.  In addition, he is associate editor-in-chief of Chinese Journal of Polymer Science　and Acta Polymerica Sinica, editor of Progress in Polymer Science and Journal of Macromolecular Science —— Pure and Applied Chemistry, member of the International Advisory Board of Polymer and Japanese Polymer Journal.
Professor Wang involved in research project on “Synthesis, Structure, Properties and Application of Cis-1,4 Polybutadiene Rubber" in 1960's as one of the project leaders, and made a contribution to the establishment of polybutadiene rubber industry in China, thus he won the special class of National Prize in Science and Technology Progress of China in 1985.  He is one of the pioneers in the world using rare-earth catalyst for polymerization of isoprene and discovered rare-earth catalyst as very active catalyst for Cis-1,4 isoprene polymerization.  He is the pioneer in the research work in the fields of electronic polymer in China since 1981, and has done a systematical work on polyaniline and its derivatives.  A pilot scale production line (30 tons/a) for polyaniline is in operation.  Professor Wang has also done a creative work on nanocomposites of polymers with clay.  A nanocomposite of PET (Nylon-6) with clay has been transferred to the enterprise for industry examination.  He and his co-workers have successfully developed ternary catalyst for copolymerization of carbon dioxide with propylene oxide and a pilot scale production line (3000 tons/a) is underconstruction in western Inner Mongolia.
He has published more than 300 scientific papers and 3 monographs with coeditors.  Professor Wang has received several awards, including the second class of National Prize in Nature Science (1982 and 1986), third class of National Prize in Nature Science (1991), and International Award of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (2002).