WPI-SKCM² Researcher David Burke Receives Poster Presentation Award at CCC Kyoto

On September 20, 2026, David Burke, Assistant Professor (Special Appointment) at the International Institute for Sustainability with Knotted Chiral Meta Matter (WPI-SKCM²), Hiroshima University, received a Poster Presentation Award at the Conference on Coordination Chemistry in Kyoto (CCC Kyoto), held from September 19 to 20 at Kyoto University’s Yoshida Campus.

His award-winning poster, titled “Leveraging Cyclobutane Chemistry to Toughen Porous Materials,” presents an ongoing, multifaceted effort to improve the durability of porous functional materials through the strategic incorporation of strained cyclobutane rings into their structures.

Cyclobutane rings can act as sacrificial bonds in polymer materials, undergoing selective cleavage when subjected to mechanical stress. This process allows the material to undergo structural rearrangement under conditions that might otherwise cause it to fracture. While this chemistry is well established in dense, amorphous materials, its application to porous materials remains largely unexplored. Burke’s research seeks to address this gap and develop more mechanically robust porous materials.

Commenting on the significance of the research, Burke said:

“The originality of this work lies in leveraging established cyclobutane chemistry in entirely new material platforms to achieve functional porous materials with superior mechanical properties compared to the current state of the art. Porous materials have shown promise as thermal insulators, chemical separation membranes, clean fuel storage vessels, and other sustainability-oriented technologies, yet these emergent materials are often mechanically fragile, complicating their widespread use. By incorporating designed structural rearrangement pathways into materials that protect against bulk failure under mechanical stress, the durability and longevity of porous technologies can be improved, paving the way to their societal implementation.”

We extend our warmest congratulations to Dr. Burke on this achievement.