(6iz) Hybrid Membranes for Challenging Energy Separations

Chemical separations consume 15% of U.S. industrial energy use, while molecularly selective membranes can significantly reduce this number [1]. Numerous membrane materials have emerged to address unmet separation challenges in recent decades, among which organic-inorganic hybrid membranes show promising application prospect by combining the advantages of organic and inorganic membranes. However, the design and realization of hybrid membrane materials with targeted applications still rely greatly on trial and error due to several practical challenges: (1) identification of advanced inorganic filler, (2) interfacial problem and (3) mismatching of performance between organic and inorganic phases. Rational design of hybrid membranes requires fundamental understanding of material properties, penetrants discrepancy, and corresponding permeation results. In this regard, coupling atomistic simulation techniques and experimental approaches based on membrane theories will expedite the hybrid membrane development progress by providing insights into specific separation problems.

Prior to joining Georgia Tech, I pursued the integration of computational and experimental skills in describing gas adsorption and diffusion phenomena through porous sorbents and membranes. At Georgia Tech with the supervision of Professor William Koros, I proposed a novel olefin/paraffin separation mechanism based on fundamental understanding of membrane materials and gas molecules as well as gas transportation theory, named conformation-controlled molecular sieving effect. This novel mechanism refined the traditional molecular sieving effect, which was further experimentally verified using the in-purpose identified molecular sieve. The developed hybrid membranes incorporated with the identified molecular sieve show promising propylene/propane and n-butane/iso-butane separation performance, surpassing all reported hybrid membranes. In the following projects toward aggressive sour gas (H₂S and CO₂) sweetening, I developed novel polymeric membranes with extraordinary separation performance and explored the gas permeation fundamentals using the integrated computational and experimental skills. Surprisingly, my work suggests the counter-intuitive benefits of polymer plasticization on improving H₂S removing efficiency [2].

My future research aims to lead the developments of hybrid membranes for key energy separations assisted by computational simulations. Design of “inorganic” molecular sieves will be guided by a molecular-level understanding of permeation (adsorption + diffusion) and material structure-property relationships. Matching of “organic” polymer matrix with the molecular sieves’ properties and performance will be pursued to attain optimum membrane performance. Computational simulations will be performed to provide insights to membrane performance and guide future membrane developments. Ultimately, not only successful but also frustrated organic-inorganic recipes along with their physical and chemical properties as well as experimental separation data will be organized to derive a database for several challenging energy separations. With extensive experimental experience in membranes and strong expertise in computational simulations, I am uniquely suited to undertake these challenging research efforts.

References

[1] National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. A Research Agenda for Transforming Separation Science. 2019, Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Doi: https://doi.org/10.17226/25421

[2] Yang Liu, Zhongyun Liu, Gongping Liu, Wulin Qiu, Nitesh Bhuwania, Daniel Chinn, William Koros. Surprising Plasticization Benefits in Natural Gas Upgrading Using Polyimide Membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 2019, submitted.

Teaching Interests:

Chemical Engineering Fundamentals, Computational Simulations, Separation Processes, Fundamentals of Membranes and Adsorbents

Selected Publications (36 total, 14 first author, 454 citations, H-index 12):

1. Yang Liu, Zhijie Chen, Gongping Liu, Youssef Belmabkhout, Osama Shekhah, Mohamed Eddaoudi, William Koros. Conformation-Controlled Molecular Sieving Effect for Membrane-based Propylene/Propane Separation. Advanced Materials 2019, 31(14), 1807513.
2. Yang Liu, Gongping Liu, Chen Zhang, Wulin Qiu, Shouliang Yi, Valeriya Chernikova, Zhijie Chen, Youssef Belmabkhout, Osama Shekhah, Mohamed Eddaoudi, William Koros. Enhanced CO₂/CH₄ Separation Performance of a Mixed Matrix Membrane Based on Tailored MOF-Polymer Formulations. Advanced Science 2018, 5(9), 1800982.
3. Yang Liu, Bing Zhang, Defei Liu, Ping Sheng, Zhiping Lai. Fabrication and Molecular Transport Studies of Highly c-oriented AFI Membranes. Journal of Membrane Science 2017, 528, 46-54.
4. Yang Liu, Jing Liu, Y. S. Lin, Ming Chang. Effects of Water Vapor and Trace Gas Impurities in Flue Gas on CO₂/N₂ Separation using ZIF-68. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2014, 118, 6744-6751.
5. Yang Liu, Jing Liu, Y. S. Lin. Adsorption Equilibrium and Kinetics of Carbon Dioxide on Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework-68. Chemical Engineering Science 2014, 118, 32-40.