
Bio
Dr. Tomonori Saito is a synthetic polymer chemist, who has extensive experience in the synthesis of well-defined polymers via living/controlled polymerization as well as post-modification of various polymers. His expertise has been applied to various projects at ORNL including polymer upcycling, vitrimers, flow battery, fuel cell membranes, ion-conducting polymers for batteries and battery binders, CO2 separation membranes, polymer nanocomposites, additive manufacturing, polymer nanoparticles, elastomers, self-healing materials, thermal insulation materials, gas pipeline renewal, uranium extraction from seawater, carbon fiber composites, polyolefin-based carbon fibers, lignin based-carbon fibers, and lignin-based renewable thermoplastics. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 54), 14 patents issued (several were licensed.), won R&D 100 in 2012, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2024 as well as received the inventor of the year by Battelle in 2023.
His strength in research relies on the use of his skills in synthetic polymer chemistry to impact material sciences, energy, and chemical & environmental engineering applications. His polymer synthesis experience includes synthesis of block, graft, random copolymers with functional groups using living anionic polymerization, ATRP, RAFT, ROMP, conventional free radical polymerization, step-growth polymerization, and post-functionalization chemistry. His engineering expertise includes design, process and characterization of polymeric materials using various techniques for applications such as 3D printing, thermal insulation materials, renewable/upcycled plastics, carbon fibers, composites, gas pipe rehabilitation, CO2 separation membranes, fuel cell, flow battery, self-healing materials, elastomers, metal adsorbents, ion-conducting polymers for energy storage, etc..
- Polymer Upcycling
- Polymer Composites
- SMART Gas Pipe Rehabilitation
- Self-healing and Dynamic Polymers (Vitrimers)
- Additive Manufacturing (Binger Jet 3D Printing, FDM, DIW)
- Polymer Electrolytes
- Energy Storage (Li-ion Battery, Flow Battery, Fuel Cell)
- Gas Separation Membrane
- Building Materials (Thermal Insulation)
Professional Experience
2012 – present R&D Staff (Associate 2012-2016, Staff 2017-2020, Senior 2021-2024. Distinguished 2024-, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Chemical Sciences Division
2019 – present Joint Faculty, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, The Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education
2010 – 2012 Postdoctoral Associate, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Materials Science and Technology Division
2008 – 2010 Postdoctoral Associate, The Pennsylvania State University, Materials Science and Engineering, Environmental Engineering
Awards
2024 2024 R&D 100, “Selective Mixed Plastic Recycling” Tomonori Saito, Md Arifuzzaman, Bobby Sumpter, Changwoo Do, Zoriana Demchuk, Sheng Dai, Ilja Popovs, Jeff Foster, Nick Galan and Jackie Zheng; and Robert Davis
2023 Battelle - ORNL Inventor of the Year, Tomonori Saito
2022 ORNL Award, Research Accomplishment, Tomonori Saito
2022 ORNL Award, Outstanding Scholarly Output, Amy Elliott, Tomonori Saito, Michelle Lehmann, Desarae Goldsby, Guang Yang and Benjamin Doughty
2022 ORNL BTSD 2022 Outstanding ORNL Collaborator Award, Tomonori Saito
2021 2021 R&D 100, “Autonomous self-healing sealant”, Diana Hun, Pengfei Cao, Tomonori Saito, Zhen Zhang, Bingrui Li, Natasha Ghezawi and Zoriana Demchuk
2019 2019 R&D 100, “High Strength Binder System for Additive Manufacturing”, Tomonori Saito, Amy Elliott, Dustin Gilmer, Michelle Lehmann, Lu Han, Rick Lucas, Dan Brunermer
2017 ORNL Research Team Award, Carter Abney, Vyacheslav Bryantsev, Christopher J. Janke, Sheng Dai, Richard Mayes, Tomonori Saito, Costas Tsouris
2016 2016 R&D 100, “U Grabber”, Sheng Dai, Suree Brown, Robin Rogers, Christopher J. Janke, Richard Mayes, Tomonori Saito, Ronnie Hanes
2012 2012 R&D 100, “HiCap Adsorbents”, Christopher J. Janke, Yatsandra Oyola, Sheng Dai, Chris Bauer, Richard Mayes, Tomonori Saito, Xiao-Guang Sun, Costas Tsouris, Jim Brang, Jeff Haggard
Education
Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan B.S. 2001 Applied Chemistry
Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan M.S. 2003 Chemical Engineering
Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA Ph.D. 2008 Chemistry (Organic Polymer)