(2az) Atomically Thin Membrane for Energy-Efficient Separation

Membrane separation is a highly effective method to cut down industrial energy consumption, as up to 90% of energy usage can be attributed to separation processes. Such significant energy savings have a tremendous impact on society and the economy, particularly during the current energy crisis. Atomically thin membrane acts as the thinnest possible transport barrier, which is regarded as a promising high-throughput separation platform for molecular/ionic mixtures. The ultrathin two-dimensional (2D) layers also possess attractive anisotropic structures, superior electrocatalytic activity, and photon-electron interaction. My research focuses on the construction of the ultrashort and highly selective transport channels in the atom-thick membrane while combining their attractive unique physical and chemical properties, resulting in an energy-efficient interface for clean energy production and carbon capture. The future research directions focusing on high-performance separation and catalysis reaction, achieving renewable energy conversion, such as blue hydrogen production, CO₂ conversion as well as solar energy utilization.

Research experience

My research experience focuses on fundamental understanding of photo-enhanced mass transport of graphene (Post-doc fellow @ University of Manchester), where I focused on revealing the mechanism of the photovoltaic effect at graphene interface and establishing the enhanced mass transport. My Ph.D. work (Ph.D.@ EPFL) focused on realizing etching angstrom-precision nanopore on single-layer graphene membrane for gas separation. As a pioneer in atomically thin membrane, a platform from one-atom-thick membrane fabrication to comprehensive characterization as well as profound understanding was built by my Ph. D. work. For the first time, high-performance gas-mixture separation (CO₂/N₂) was successfully realized by atomically thin membrane. This breakthrough opened up new possibilities for addressing the challenges associated with demanding high-throughput separation processes.

Teaching interest

My teaching experience is mainly related to the Chemical Engineering curriculum. I started my TA of fluid dynamics and involved in exercise lectures since my Master's. During my Ph. D. at EPFL, I have been as the TAs of the "Advance diffusion separation process," "Process development," and "Chemical engineering lab project." These experiences have further improved my teaching skills and prepared me to communicate effectively with the students.

---------------------------------------------------Contact E-mail: shiqi.huang@manchester.ac.uk--------------------------------------------------------------------

Selected publications

1. Huang,^† L. F. Villalobos,^† S. Li,^† M. T. Vahdat, H. Chi, K.Hsu, L.S. Bondaz, V. Boureau, N. Marzari, K. V. Agrawal*, “In situ nucleation-decoupled and site-specific incorporation of Å-scale pores in graphene via epoxidation” Advanced Materials, 2022, 2206627.
2. Huang, S. Li, L. F. Villalobos, M. Dakhchoune, M. Micari, D. J. Babu, M. T. Vahdat, M. Mensi, E. Oveisi, K. V. Agrawal*, “Millisecond lattice gasification for high-density CO₂- and O₂-sieving nanopores in single-layer graphene”, Science Advances, 2021, 7, eabf0116.
3. Huang, M. Dakhchoune, W. Luo, E. Oveisi, G. He, M. Rezaei, J. Zhao, A. Züttel, M. S. Strano, K. V. Agrawal*, “Single-layer graphene membranes by crack-free transfer for gas mixture separation”, Nature Communications, 2018, 9, 2632.
4. Huang^†, S. Li^†, K. Hsu, L. F. Villalobos, K. V. Agrawal, “Systematic design of millisecond gasification reactor for the incorporation of gas- sieving nanopores in single-layer graphene”, Journal of Membrane Science, 2021, 637, 119628. (Invited article)
5. Huang, L. F. Villalobos, D. J. Babu, G. He, M. Li, A. Züttel, K. V. Agrawal*, “Ultrathin carbon molecular sieve films and room-temperature oxygen functionalization for gas-sieving”, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019, 11, 16729-16736.
6. Huang, X. Wu* W. Chen, T. Wang, Y. Wu, G. He*, “Bilateral electrochemical hydrogen pump reactor for 2-propanol dehydrogenation and phenol hydrogenation”, Green Chemistry, 2016, 18, 2353-2362. (Featured on the cover page)
7. He, S. Huang, L. F. Villalobos, J. Zhao, M. Mensi, E. Oveisi, M. Rezaei, K. V. Agrawal*, “High-permeance polymer-functionalized single-layer graphene membranes that surpass the postcombustion carbon capture target”, Energy & Environmental Science, 2019, 12, 3305. (Featured on the cover page)
8. He, S. Huang, L. F. Villalobos, M. T. Vahdat, M. D. Guiver, J. Zhao, W.-C. Lee, M. Mensi, K. V. Agrawal*, “Synergistic CO₂-sieving from polymer with intrinsic microporosity masking nanoporous single-layer graphene”, Advanced Functional Materials, 2020, 30, 2003979.
9. Zhao^†, G. He^†, S. Huang, L. F. Villalobos, M. Dakhchoune, H. Bassas, K. V. Agrawal*, “Etching nanopores in single-layer graphene with an angstrom precision for high-performance gas separation”, Science Advances, 2019, 5, eaav1851.
10. J. Hsu, L. F. Villalobos, S. Huang, H. Chi, W. Lee, G. He, M. Mensi, K. V. Agrawal, “Multi-pulsed millisecond ozone gasification for predictable tuning of nucleation and nucleation-decoupled nanopore expansion in graphene for carbon capture’’, ACS Nano, 2021, 15, 13230–13239
11. Li, M. T. Vahdat, S. Huang, K. J. Hsu, M. Rezaei, M. Mensi, N. Marzari, and K. V. Agrawal, “Structure Evolution of Graphitic Surface upon Oxidation: Insights by Scanning Tunneling Microscopy”, JACS Au, 2022, 2, 3, 723–730. (Featured on the cover page)