2023 Charles Goodyear Medal goes to Christopher Macosko

AKRON—The prestigious Charles Goodyear Medal for 2023 will go to Christopher Macosko, honored for his extensive and groundbreaking work in developing basic relations for crosslinking polymerization.

The award is the highest honor given by the Akron-based ACS Rubber Division, which announced this honor and six other competitive awards Nov. 10 as part of the group's annual Science and Technology Awards.

Macosko will be presented with the award April 25-27 at the Rubber Division's Spring Technical Meeting in Warrensville Heights, Ohio.

"Words cannot do enough justice to describe the breadth and depth of Professor Macosko's work and its global impact in the rubber and plastics industry and academia," said Maria Ellul, a retired principal scientist with ExxonMobil Chemical Co., in her letter of support for Macosko. "He is a most qualified candidate (and) is most deserving of this honor, which is now long overdue."

Macosko, a University of Minnesota professor emeritus, has conducted pioneering work in the areas of the growth of molecular weight, branching, crosslink network formation, crosslink density, swelling and sol fraction.

"Macosko is a pioneer who has developed the field of industrially important polymer processing with a concomitant understanding of the science of polymer rheology particularly in the presence of kinetic phenomenon such as crosslinking and phase separation," said Sudhin Datta, a professor at the University of Akron and the 2015 Charles Goodyear Medal winner, in his letter of support to the ACS Rubber Division.

As an internationally- respected research academic in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the university, Macosko earned his bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. He obtained his doctorate in chemical engineering in 1970 from Princeton University, where he worked under the supervision of industry icon Bryce Maxwell.

Macosko and a fellow doctoral student co-founded the company Rheometrics, now part of Delaware-based TA Instruments, which is known for producing testing equipment for the field of rheology.

Macosko invented the mechanical spectrometer and went on to help develop the Ares rheometer, "which every major rubber company uses every day to evaluate new polymers and compounds," said Anil Bhowmick, a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Houston. Bhowmick himself was the 1997 winner of the George Stafford Whitby Award and the 2022 recipient of the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award, both from Rubber Division.

Bhowmick penned the initial nomination letter for Macosko for the Charles Goodyear Award.

"For over 50 years he has made outstanding contributions to polymer science and technology," Bhowmick wrote. "He has mentored over 150 graduate students and postdocs, many who have gone on to contribute to the rubber industry."

Macosko is the author of more than 500 academic works, including the 1994 "Rheology: Principles, Measurements and Applications," a widely used university textbook which deals with the deformation and flow of matter, especially the non-Newtonian flow of liquids and the plastic flow of solids.

His work has addressed a broad range of polymer processing operations, including reaction injection molding, extrusion, melt blowing and coating.

"I think it is important to note that citing Chris' accomplishments like bullet points is not at all sufficient to capture his impact," said Patrick Brant, also retired as a scientist at ExxonMobil, in his support of Macosko. "While impressive, such a list does not sufficiently capture his leadership and his open style of collaboration. Chris has been a role model for others to follow throughout his career. For all these reasons, and more, Chris Macosko would be a most deserving recipient of the Goodyear Medal."

Macosko's other accolades, among many, include winning the Stein Award in Materials from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the International Award of the Society of Plastics Engineers and the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology.

He was the winner of the Pall Award for Applied Polymer Research in 1997 and the Fernley H. Banbury Award from the Rubber Division in 2006.

The highest honor conferred by the ACS Rubber Division is named for the pioneer of rubber vulcanization.

The Charles Goodyear Medal honors "outstanding invention, innovation or development which has resulted in a significant change or contribution to the nature of the rubber industry."

This year's award went to Tim Rhyne and Steve Cron, retired Michelin North America engineers who were honored for their work in developing the Tweel, an airless tire that includes a non-pneumatic tire with a polyurethane-spoked wheel.

The ACS Rubber Division first offered the award in 1941, an inaugural honor that went to David Spence, a researcher noted for synthesizing isoprene for use in synthetic rubber.