About
This short course discusses established and emerging uses of polymer membranes at the Energy/Water Nexus, the multi-scale design of membranes for gas and water separations, experimental and computational characterization of polymer membranes, and the formulations and non-equilibrium processing methods used to manufacture membranes at the industrial scale.
Overview
Polymer membranes play central roles in energy-efficient gas separations and water purification. This short course will bring together experts from academia, national laboratories, and industry to teach related aspects in polymer membranes for gas and water separations, including established and emerging uses of polymer membranes at the Water-Energy Nexus and gas separations, the multiscale design and experimental and computational characterization of polymer membranes, and the formulations and non-equilibrium processing methods used to manufacture polymer membranes at the industrial scale. Attendees will leave with knowledge on fundamental aspects and cutting-edge research in these areas and will experience tutorial activities for hands-on learning throughout the short course.
Potential Topics
- Overview of how polymer membranes are used for gas and liquid phase separations
- Formulation and non-equilibrium processing methods used to manufacture membranes
- Structural characterization of polymer membranes
- Molecular through bulk descriptions of thermodynamic partitioning (sorption) of solutes at membrane-solution interfaces
- Kinetics and solute dynamics in polymer membranes from molecular diffusion coefficients to bulk properties
Speakers
Please note that speakers may be subject to change.
- Overview of membrane separations and how they are executed: Benny Freeman, University of Texas at Austin
- Experimental aspects of membrane fabrication using phase separation-based techniques: Tina Carbrello, Millipore Sigma or Ryan Lively, Georgia Tech
- Fundamental polymer physics of phase separation-based fabrication methods: Glenn Fredrickson, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Structural characterization of gas separation, reverse osmosis, and filtration membranes: Ruilan Guo, University of Notre Dame
- Characterizing solute partitioning at polymer-solution interfaces: Christopher Stafford, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
- Quantifying solute partitioning at polymer-solution interfaces via computation: Scott Milner, Penn State University or Lisa Hall, Ohio State University
- Solute dynamics in gas separation membranes with a focus on traditional bulk membrane characterization: Zachary Smith, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Solute dynamics in membranes for liquid phase separations with a focus on molecular scale characterization: Marta Hatzell, Georgia Tech
- Electric-field driven transport of solutes through separation membranes: Rafael Verduzco, Rice University
Who Should Attend?
The workshop is appropriate for polymer and soft materials researchers at all levels, in academia, national laboratories, and industry, who would like to learn about the polymer physics of polymer membranes for water purification and gas separations. While aimed toward early-career researchers (including graduate students, postdocs, and early-career faculty and scientists) there will be topics of interest for researchers at all career levels.
Organizers
William Phillip, University of Notre Dame
Hee Jeung Oh, The Pennsylvania State University
Sponsors
We thank our generous sponsors: Physical Review Materials, University of Notre Dame Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Penn State University Department of Chemical Engineering, National Science Foundation, University of Pennsylvania Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Notre Dame Materials Science and Engineering Program, and Air Products.
Additional Information
Please bring a laptop for the hands-on tutorials on both Saturday and Sunday. No software installation is required beyond access to a web browser. Free Wi-Fi will be provided.