POLYCHAR 21 World Forum on Advanced Materials

GWANGJU, KOREA, March 11 – 15, 2013

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I am very happy to invite you to POLYCHAR 21 to be held in March 2013 in the city of Gwangju. As every year, it will begin with a one-day Course on Polymer Characterization on Monday March 11, followed by four days of Forum on Advanced Materials. The conference venue will be Kimdaejung Convention Center located not far from the city center. Due to some unexpected difficulties we had to change the originally planned conference venue and dates (from Daegu, March 24-28 to Gwangju, March 11-15). We hope this will not hinder your participation in the conference. Details can be found at

POLYCHAR is a series of annual conferences which were originally limited to polymer characterization (hence the abbreviation in the name) but which are now the most worldwide conferences on advanced materials. The Scientific Committee of the Forum has representatives of 52 countries; see The Forum has been held for the past 20 years in various parts of the world: USA (1992-2003), Portugal (2004), Singapore (2005), Japan (2006), Brazil (2007), India (2008), France (2009), Germany (2010), Nepal (2011), and Croatia (2012). Sponsored by the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), we shall have a worldwide forum for new discoveries, research collaboration and networking, and dissemination of most recent scientific advances.

The prestigious Paul J. Flory Research Prize and the International Materials Science Prize, further prizes for young scientists and students as well as IUPAC Poster Prizes will be awarded. Among others, we plan to invite many young scientists from economically disadvantaged regions of the world. There will be oral and poster presentations. Poster dimensions: maximum width 90 cm, maximum height 110 cm.

The following areas will be important:

  • Predictive Methods and Simulations
  • Structure-Property Relationships
  • Surfaces, Interfaces, Adhesion and Tribology
  • Materials Synthesis
  • Rheology and Processing
  • Mechanical Properties and Performance
  • Electrical and Dielectric Properties
  • Nanomaterials and Smart Materials
  • Biomaterials, Green Materials and Composites
  • Materials for Energy and Recycling

POLYCHAR 21 will be held in conjunction with the SWEET 2013 Exhibition hosted by the Gwangju City which has the theme, “Green Polymer Science and Technology for a Healthy, Sustainable World" and thus encompasses critical issues facing our global society.

Lunches and coffee breaks will be provided. The conference dinner is scheduled for Friday evening after the Award and Closing Ceremony, for a separate fee. Details for the post-conference tour on Saturday can be found on the website of POLYCHAR 21 (not on the POLYCHAR website).

The Course is free for the registered participants. Those who intend to attend the Course only should say so in the Registration Form.

The program of the Course

Surname / Given name / Title
Hess / Michael / Thermal Characterization of Polymers / 08:00-09:00
Saiter / Jean-Marc / Polymer Relaxation Dynamics analyzed through Cooperativity and Glass Transition / 09:00-10:00
Coffee Break / 10:00-10:30
Brostow / Witold / Introduction into Tribology of Polymers / 10:30-11:30
Hess / Michael / Polymer Spectroscopy NMR, IR / 11:30-12:30
Lunch Break / 12:30-14:00
Henning / Sven / Modern Electron Microscopy in Polymer Characterization / 14:00-15:00
Schoenherr / Holger / Advanced Microscopy and SpectroscopyTechniques for Surface Characterization / 15:00-16:00
Coffee Break / 16:00-16:30
Guenet / Jean-Michel / Basics of Scattering Techniques: X-ray, LS / 16:30-17:30
Chang / Taihyun / HPLC Characterization of Polymers / 17:30-18:30

New deadlines are: Abstract submission : December 31, 2012 Abstract acceptance : January 15, 2013 Registration fee payment : January 31, 2013

The Scientific Committee will meet during the lunch break on Wednesday. The Prize Committee will meet on Friday at a working lunch.

Gwangju is blessed with its beautiful surroundings and famous for its history and art heritage. The world famous Buddhist temple, Songkwangsa, is located nearby. There are ample sites and places you and your accompanying person(s) might like to visit after the conference to learn more of the culture and natural beauty of the old Asian country, Korea.

On behalf of the Organizing Committee, I would like to reiterate my invitation to you to participate in POLYCHAR 21 and I look forward to seeing you all in Korea, March 2013.If you have any questions, or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards, Byung-Wook Jo
POLYCHAR 21- World Forum on Advanced Materials
Convener : Prof. Byung-Wook Jo
Address : Chosun University, 309 Pilmun-daero Dong-du, Gwangju 501-759, Korea
Phone : +82 62 230 7240
Fax : +82 62 232 2474
E-mail : ,
Website :

MEALS, CONFERENCE DINNER, POST-CONFERENCE TOUR

The expenses for lunch and coffee break on the 12.03.-15.03. will be covered by the Conference fee for the registered participants, for those who are registered for the SHORT COURSE this is also valid for the 11.03.

Also these expenses have to be covered by the participants who again have to register.

For further information please contact the website