ICMSET 2025 Invited Speakers

Invited Speaker #1

Prof. Ildoo Chung, Pusan National University, Korea 
Introduction Professor Ildoo Chung joined the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering at Pusan National University, Korea, in 2005. Prior to this, he conducted postdoctoral research in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Tennessee, USA, and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. He earned his Ph.D. from Pusan National University in 2000.
He has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Adhesion and Interface and as a member of the board of directors for the Polymer Society of Korea, the Korea Society of Adhesion and Interface, the Korea Polyurethane Society, and the Asian Cyclodextrin Conference. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed articles and delivered more than 220 presentations at national and international conferences.
His research focuses on polymer synthesis methods such as atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) and reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization, with applications in advanced polymeric biomaterials. These include drug delivery systems, polymers compatible with hard and soft tissues for dental and orthopedic applications, photocurable 3D-printable polymeric biomaterials, biodegradable polymers, and composite systems.
Speech Title Biodegradable and thermoresponsive hollow porous micro/nanoparticles for sustained drug release
Abstract Various types of porous biodegradable polymers based on polycaprolactone (PCL), polylactide (PLA), and polyurethane were synthesized and used as drug delivery vehicles for bupivacaine and carboplatin. Porous biodegradable microspheres were fabricated by successful RAFT polymerization of methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) onto PCL and PLA, which was first synthesized by ring opening polymerization of lactide followed by an oil/water emulsion-evaporation method, then finally photodegradation of PMVK blocks by UV irradiation. Biodegradable porous polyurethane nanoparticles have also been fabricated using water-in-oil-in-water double emulsion and solvent evaporation methods. These nanoparticles are composed of biodegradable and biocompatible polyfumarateurethane (PFU) and L-threonine polyurethane (LTHU), designed for degradation through hydrolysis and enzymatic activity, facilitated by the presence of ester bonds and peptide bonds within the polymer backbone. The morphology of microspheres was spherical with smooth surfaces before UV irradiation. Microspheres fabricated only from PCL homopolymers could also retain their smooth surface after UV irradiation. However, those from PCL-PMVK and PCL-PLA-PMVK block copolymers had rough surfaces and porous structures after UV irradiation due to the photodegradation of PMVK blocks as a porous template. The porosity and shape of the microspheres and shape of microspheres were dependent on the PMVK contents and size of microspheres. In addition, the drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, and drug release profiles, using UV-Vis spectroscopy, showed the highest encapsulation efficiency with 2.5% drug, and sustained release profile.