Department of chemistry

Education

Konstantinos Ntetsikas received his Ph.D. in Polymer Science in 2015 from the University of Ioannina, under the supervision of Professor Apostolos Avgeropoulos. His doctoral thesis focused on Macromolecular Architecture of Complex Elastomeric Structures: Synthesis, Characterization and Properties.

Career

From January 2024 to July 2026, he served as a Research Scientist (R4) at the Polymer Synthesis Lab, KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), Division of Physical Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

Previously, from February 2019 to December 2023, he held the position of Research Scientist (R3) at the same laboratory and institution.

From August 2016 to February 2019, he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Polymer Synthesis Lab, KAUST Catalysis Center (KCC), under the supervision of Professor Nikos Hadjichristidis.

Research Interests

His research interests focus on:

a) Synthesis of advanced polymeric materials: Synthesis of novel linear and nonlinear polymeric materials, primarily through anionic polymerization using high-vacuum techniques, with the aim of investigating structure–property relationships. His research also encompasses the synthesis of innovative polymeric materials, including vitrimers and self-healing polymers, through non-covalent interactions (hydrogen bonding and stereocomplexation), as well as dynamic covalent bonding interactions. Additional research activities include the synthesis of acrylic-based polymers via free-radical emulsion polymerization, and the development of biodegradable and bio-based polymers.

b) Molecular and structural characterization: Molecular and structural characterization of polymers and investigation of their properties in dilute solutions.

c) Morphological and thermal characterization: Investigation of the morphological and thermal properties of polymeric materials.

d) Thin-film processing and nanofabrication: Processing techniques for thin-film fabrication and nanofabrication, including directed self-assembly and nanoimprint lithography.

Research Output and Scientific Impact

He has published 55 research articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals, including 2 publications as co-corresponding author.

According to the bibliometric databases (November 4, 2026), his scientific impact is reflected in the following citation metrics:

• Google Scholar: 1,440 total citations; h-index: 18.
• Scopus: 1,198 total citations; h-index: 17.
• Web of Science: 1,145 total citations; h-index: 16.

Recent Publications

1. M. Nasik, V. Ladelta, K. Ntetsikas, S. Bhaumik, N. Hadjichristidis, E. B. Gowd - Formation of Metastable Structures during Confined Crystallization of Poly(L‑lactide) in Poly(isoprene‑b‑L‑lactide) Diblock Copolymer and Their Influence on Phase-Separated Morphology Macromolecules, 58, 2534-2545, 2025

2. B. Robles-Hernández, N. Patelis, A. A. Mendez, K. Ntetsikas, S. Bhaumik, N. Hadjichristidis, A. Alegría, J. Colmenero - Chain dynamics in polyisoprene stars with arms linked by dynamic covalent bonds to the
central core Soft Matter, 21, 3347-3360, 2025

3. P. Kardasis, M. Danikas, N. Patelis, K. Ntetsikas, N. Hadjichristidis, G. Floudas - Effect of Polyisoprene Microstructure on the Thermodynamics, Viscoelastic, and Dielectric Properties in the Bulk and During Flow in Nanopores Macromolecules, 58, 6052-6065, 2025

4. S. Bhaumik, N. Patelis, K. Ntetsikas, Y.-L. Hou, K. L. Kearns, K. Setula, S. S. Sengupta, T. J. Person, W. H. H. Woodward, S. Saba, S. Livazovic, N. Hadjichristidis - Well-Defined Chain-End Functionalized Polyethylenes with Different Macromolecular Architectures Macromolecules, 58, 10056-10072, 2025

5. J. Xu, K. Ntetsikas, J. Yu, F. Li, N. Hadjichristidis, L. Guo - Engineering nanoporous block copolymer membranes for fast molecular elimination Chem. Eng., 529, 173103, 2026

6. M. Nasik, V. Ladelta, K. Ntetsikas, N. Patelis, N. Hadjichristidis, E. B. Gowd - Stereocomplex-Driven Hierarchical Assembly in Melt-Quenched PLLA/PDLA-Based Block Copolymer Blends Macromolecules, 59, 7079-7091, 2026

7. K. L. Kearns, K. Setula, C. S. Cabezas, S. Bhaumik, N. Patelis, M. Mejia, S. Sengupta, T. Person, W. H. H. Woodward, K.Ntetsikas, Y.-L. Hou, N. Hadjichristidis - Crystallization of Well-Defined Chain-End Functionalized Polyethylenes with Varying Molecular Weights and Branching Architectures Macromolecules, 59, 7740-7753, 2026