Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ziya Menceloğlu, Board Member of Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center, received the Elginkan Foundation 2025 Technology Award for his work titled “Development of Biodegradable Super Absorbent Polymers and Their Conversion into Nanotern™ Product.”
Prof. Dr. Menceloğlu's award-winning project, Nanotern™, is a biodegradable and environmentally friendly superabsorbent polymer (SAP) developed to ensure efficient water use in agriculture under drought and excessive rainfall conditions. This innovative material, which can adapt to different and saline soil systems, stores approximately 1800 times its own weight in water and releases it back to plants in a controlled manner over 30-40 days. Developed as an alternative to petroleum-derived SAPs, Nanotern™ stands out as an advanced material technology originating in Turkey, with a structure that poses no microplastic risk and is commercially scalable. Prominent in sustainable agriculture, food security, and climate change adaptation, Nanotern™ offers an innovative solution to increasing global water and production pressures.
We congratulate Prof. Dr. Yusuf Ziya Menceloğlu and wish him continued success.
