EMSR
Electromembrane for Sustainable Resource Recovery · Z. X. N. Low Research Group
We investigate selective species (i.e., ions, molecules) transport mechanisms, performance, and the interplay among channel structure, species interactions, and transport dynamics in emerging membrane materials, along with the design and fabrication of such membranes for resource recovery, desalination, and environmental remediation.
Ion and water transport • Electrodialysis • Desalination • Salinity gradient • Synthesis of microporous polymers and frameworks • Ceramics • Glass • Gas purification • Organic solvent separation • 3D printing • Nanofibrous membranes • Water purification • Electrochemistry
EMSR is part of the National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane, State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, NJTECH University Suzhou Future Membrane Technology Innovation Center at Nanjing Tech University
Latest News
- Janus Nanofiber Membranes Purify Air, Block Water, and Kill Bacteria
*New publication from EMSR* Airborne pathogens and pollution control typically necessitate multiple membranes, each specializing in efficient aerosol filtration, moisture regulation, or antimicrobial protection. Integrating all these functions into a single membrane is highly advantageous but remains inherently challenging due to material incompatibility and inevitable performance trade-offs. Here, we present a photoactive Janus nanofibrous membrane for highly efficient air purification, engineered via sequential electrospinning. This asymmetric membrane features a biomimetic cactus spine and pollen structures formed within a hydrophilic biopolymer matrix with the embedding of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) on one side and hydrophobic microchannels on the other, together… Read more: Janus Nanofiber Membranes Purify Air, Block Water, and Kill Bacteria - From Batteries to Brines: Inorganic Solid‑State Electrolytes as Lithium‑Selective Membranes
*New publication from EMSR* In this work, we highlight inorganic solid-state electrolytes (ISSEs), originally engineered for all-solid-state batteries, as highly selective, energy-efficient membranes for extracting lithium from seawater and brines, addressing rising demand and the vast but dilute oceanic resource. Surveying oxide, sulfide, and emerging halide (and related) chemistries, the review identifies oxide-based NASICON-like materials such as LAGP, LATP, and LLTO as current leaders due to their aqueous stability, while also noting the promise of halides for fast 3D Li+ transport and the conductivity advantages of sulfides despite their moisture sensitivity. Lithium selectivity stems from an anhydrous vacancy-hopping mechanism that… Read more: From Batteries to Brines: Inorganic Solid‑State Electrolytes as Lithium‑Selective Membranes - Space-Confined Synthesis of Organic Framework Membranes for Blue Energy Harvesting
*New publication from EMSR* Osmotic energy, an infinite, clean energy source, can be efficiently harnessed through reverse electrodialysis using ion-selective membranes. While polymeric membranes are excellent candidates due to their solution-processability and scalability, their non-uniform pore architecture and high resistance limit their power density output. Here, an in situ space-confined synthesis strategy is proposed to fabricate sulfonated covalent organic frameworks within a sulfonated polymeric network, resulting in interconnected, well-defined ion channels. This allows a maximum power density reaching up to 40.33 W m−2 under a 500-fold salinity gradient and a real-world power density of 14.84 W m−2 when extracting osmotic energy from natural seawater… Read more: Space-Confined Synthesis of Organic Framework Membranes for Blue Energy Harvesting