The 47th Zhang Dayu Lecture, entitled "Polymer Reactive Extrusion: From Fundamental Engineering Science to Industrial Deployment," was delivered on 19 July 2025 by Professor Guo-Hua Hu—Distinguished Professor at the University of Lorraine (Nancy, France), Member of the Academic Institute of France, and Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences—at the Conference Center of the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The hybrid event attracted more than 180 participants on-site and online, under the chairmanship of Professor YE Mao.
Professor LIU Zhongmin, Director of DICP and Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Professor LI Xianfeng, Deputy Director of DICP, presided over the opening ceremony. Academician LIU conferred upon Professor Hu both the Zhang Dayu Lecture Certificate and the DICP Honorary Professorship Certificate in recognition of his outstanding contributions to polymer chemical engineering science.
In his lecture, Professor Hu provided a comprehensive overview of polymer reactive extrusion, delving into the fundamental functions of co-rotating twin-screw extruders, the mixing mechanisms involved in the fabrication of polymer blends and nanocomposites, the dynamics of composition fluctuation dynamics in multicomponent polymer systems, and the conceptual framework of flow-driven chemistry, along with the scientific and technological challenges. The presentation elicited extensive discussion with attendees on advanced topics in polymer chemical engineering and reactive extrusion processes.