Explore the Nano World
Wen's Research Group
Wen Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Principal Investigator
Professor
Phone: (973) 596-5520
Fax: (973) 596-5790
Email: wen.zhang@njit.edu
Office Location: Colton Hall 211
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During the oral session, Guangyu and Jianan also learned a lot about membrane fabrication from a talk titled “surface coatings for fouling-resistant membrane distillation” given by Dr. Kecheng Guan from Kobe University. They successfully designed a membrane with an asymmetric structure, including a thin superhydrophilic coating on a superhydrophobic bulk PTFE membrane. Briefly, the coating layer, based on alginate (SA) and polyethylenimine (PEI), alleviated fouling and scaling due to the superhydrophilicity and mineral precipitation resistance, while the underlayered PTFE membrane provided robust hydrophobicity, enabling a successful MD process without the membrane being exposed to water.
Furthermore, Jianan Gao delivered an invited presentation on “Electrified membrane technology for wastewater treatment and resource recovery”. Jianan detailed the fabrication and working mechanisms of the electrified membrane, and the application, performance, and techno economic analysis of electrified membrane electrolyzer for actual wastewater treatment and resource recovery.
Two doctoral students received awards and presented talks at 2024 North American Membrane Society (NAMS)
Photo of Guangyu and Dr. Jianjia Yu from New Mexico Tech
Moreover, Guangyu Zhu received the NAMS Elias Klein Travel Award and NJIT’s GSA travel award and presented an oral talk on this topic and detailed the innovative AFM-IR and KPFM methods employed to detect or even quantify the adsorption of trace PFAS compounds on the surface of the polymer membranes. The audience showed keen interest in the practical applications of these findings, which promise significant advancements for PFAS detection
Jianan Gao Received 2024 NAMS Student Fellowship Award and delivered an invited talk
Dr. Wen Zhang’s team members, Guangyu Zhu and Jianan Gao, joined the NAMS conference in New Mexico and presented their research. The poster event took place on Monday, May 13, 2024, from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Sweeney Ballroom. Guangyu Zhu, a second year Ph.D student, presented his poster on “Investigations of NF/RO applications to remove PFASs”, which is funded by the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Membrane Science, Engineering and Technology (MAST) under the NSF Award IIP-1822130. This research activities received support and feedback from two key project mentors, Uwe Beuscher from W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. and Albert Wu from 3M as well as support from the MAST center’s industrial advisory board (IAB) members
Jianan Gao is one of the three recipients for the prestigious 2024 North American Membrane Society (NAMS) Student Fellowship Award in the field of membrane science and technology. The NAMS Student Fellowship Award recognizes students who have made significant contributions to the advancement of membrane science and technology through their research, publications, and academic excellence. Jianan Gao’s dedication and hard work have set a remarkable example for peers and colleagues in the scientific community. The award was presented during the NAMS Banquet, where Jianan Gao received a medal in recognition of this significant achievement. This honor not only highlights Jianan's individual accomplishments but also underscores the importance of innovative research in membrane science.
Please join us in congratulating Jianan Gao on this well-deserved recognition and in wishing continued success in future endeavors.
Photo of Jianan’s talk about electrified membrane.
Photo of Guangyu’s talk about PFAS removal using NF/RO membranes