Engineering Next-Generation Membranes for a Sustainable Future
Supporting the below United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:支持以下聯合國可持續發展目標：支持以下联合国可持续发展目标：
The development of molecular and ion-selective membranes is key to a sustainable future, offering clean and energy-saving separation solutions for separation processes in water treatment, resource recovery, and gas purification. In this seminar, I will discuss the latest advancements in the design and fabrication of various types of membranes, targeting critical gas and liquid phase separation. We will explore the fabrication of hybrid polymer-inorganic membranes based on the integration of novel porous materials, such as Metal-Organic Frameworks and emerging two-dimensional nanosheets, as selective building blocks, and conventional solution-processible polymeric materials as membrane matrices and discuss examples of how the marriage of these materials can offer unique advantages over single-material membranes in applications such as gas separation and desalination. Additionally, we will examine advanced fabrication techniques, encompassing a streamlined and energy-saving ceramic processing method and ceramic 3D printing, to create high-temperature tolerant ceramic membranes suitable for high-temperature air purification, as well as the design of fibrous membranes for room-temperature air purification. We will end this talk with a discussion on the potential of next-generation ion-selective membranes and electro-driven separation processes for carbon capture and resource recovery, aligning with the global initiatives towards a sustainable tomorrow. We anticipate that future membrane technology advancements will lead to broader and more efficient membrane applications, fueled by the discovery of novel molecular/ion-selective materials, advancements in membrane manufacturing processes, and the development of new tools and techniques for engineering membranes tailored to specific separation processes.
Ze-Xian Nicholas Low is a Professor at the National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membrane and State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering at Nanjing Tech University. He is also a National Foreign Expert, Jiangsu Province Distinguished Professor, and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, Australia. He serves as Associate Editor of Water Research, is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Water Process Engineering, the Early Career Editorial Board of Results in Engineering, and is Executive Guest Editor of the Water Research Special Issue: Membrane Technology for Resource Recovery. Prior to academia, Low co-founded and led 2D Water, a Monash University spin-out commercializing graphene-based desalination technology. He earned his PhD (2016) and bachelor's (2012) in Chemical Engineering from Monash University and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Bath. Low specializes in energy-efficient composite separation membranes using materials with ultramicroporosity for desalination, resource recovery, and environmental remediation. Supported by grants from the NSFC, the Jiangsu Provincial Science and Technology Program, and other external sources, he has published more than 100 publications in journals such as Nature Reviews Materials, Chemical Reviews, Nature Communications, and Journal of Membrane Science. His work has earned multiple recognitions including the RINENG Young Investigator Award (2023), I&ECR Influential Researcher (2024), JWPE Trailblazer Award (2025), and consistent ranking among the world’s top 2% scientists since 2022.