报告时间：2024年12月19日，上午9:30

报告地点：色情论坛-福利吧论坛-少妇论坛 1227会议室

报告人：Prof. Zhiping Lai (赖志平)

Dr. Prof. Zhiping Lai is currently a full professor in the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering program at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). He earned his B.E. and M.S. degrees from Tsinghua University in China and his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the USA. He then conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and served as an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University before joining KAUST as a founding faculty member.

Prof. Lai’s research focuses on developing high-performance membranes with precisely controlled microstructures to address challenging gas and liquid separation problems from both fundamental and industrial perspectives. He is renowned in the membrane research community and recognized for his seminal work on zeolite membranes and pioneering contributions to metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes. He has published more than 180 academic research papers in Science and Nat. Mater., which have attracted widespread attention in the academic community.

With multicultural experience spanning China, the U.S., Singapore, and the Middle East, Prof. Lai brings a global perspective to his work. He is also an entrepreneur, having established a startup and secured substantial investment to advance his innovations. Additionally, he has served as the Chair of the Chemical Engineering program and is currently a Co-Chair of the Center of Excellence for Renewable Energy and Storage Technologies at KAUST.

报告摘要：

Separation processes typically account for 40–60% of energy consumption and 60–80% of capital costs in many chemical industries. Thus, reducing energy demand in separation is arguably one of the most effective and impactful strategies for achieving carbon neutrality. Membrane technologies are among the most energy-efficient separation methods, offering energy savings of up to 90% compared to conventional distillation processes, as exemplified by seawater desalination. However, most membrane applications are constrained by low performance, underscoring the need for innovative advancements in material design, fabrication techniques, and process optimization.

In this talk, I will begin by highlighting the critical role of membrane performance from a conceptual design perspective. I will then present our recent work on developing high-performance membranes using ordered porous materials and share novel approaches for creating ordered porous structures in easy-scalable materials, such as polymers. Finally, I will discuss a few industrially significant applications of membranes, including their use in petrochemical refining and separation, lithium extraction from low-grade brines, and medical applications.

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