Separation and Transfer Engineering with Membranes
Chemical Separation
Organic Solvent Nanofiltration, OSN
Most of the membrane technology until now have focused on water and gas purification. However, real challenging separation tasks lies in the chemical industries that employ organic solvents, catalysts, and pharmaceuticals. With recent advancement in nanotechnology and material science, it is now possible to design and control membrane pores as precise as nano-scale.
The STEM Lab aims to develop solvent-stable nanomaterials that can perform molecular separations down to 1 nm precision. We aim to apply these membranes to recycle organic solvents in high quality, increase the lifetime of homogeneous catalysts, improve the purity of pharmaceutical compounds, and lower the energy requirement of chemical processes. The relevant chemical industries include pharmaceutical, fine chemicals, semiconductors, and petroleum Industries.