Public Research Seminar by Sustainable Energy and Environment Thrust, HKUST(GZ) - Nanoparticle Tracking to Probe Transport in Porous Media

Nanoparticles, polymers, and other micro/nanoscale materials play a critical role in various fields, including energy, chemical engineering, and biomedicine. However, understanding their transport mechanisms in confined spaces, such as porous media and filtration membranes, remains a significant challenge. Traditional macroscopic techniques—such as dynamic light scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance—struggle to capture the microscopic interactions that govern transport, including adsorption-desorption, electrostatic coupling, hydrodynamic effects, and steric hindrance. This gap between theoretical models and real-world applications often leads to inefficiencies in processes like water treatment, pharmaceutical purification, and membrane filtration.

In this presentation, I will introduce an innovative approach leveraging three-dimensional high-throughput single-particle tracking technology. This method enables the first-ever direct visualization of three-dimensional particle trajectories within both porous media and filtration membranes, providing unprecedented insights into the microscopic mechanisms of nanoparticle transport and fouling dynamics. These findings offer a foundation for optimizing filtration performance and improving material design.