The MEL members presented our group's studies at the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineering conference 2024 (2024TwIChE) hosted by our university, CYCU.

As a highlight, M.  Ting-Wei Chen was honored for his oral presentation titled, "Optimizing Wettability and Performance of Superhydrophobic Poly(vinylidene difluoride) Membranes via Vapor-Induced Phase Separation for Enhanced DCMD Applications" and was ranked 2 in the oral competition for students. In addition, M. Shih-Hong Liu and Yuan-Chen Huang received honorable mentions.

Congratulations to them and all the members of the team who took part in the event!

In our recent publication, we explored the possibility of using a commercial copolymer containing styrene groups (anchoring functions) and maleic anhydride (MA) for the zwitterionic modification of PVDF-based membranes. The MA groups can readily react with amine groups. Thus, it provides a platform for diverse modifications. Here, we grafted zwitterionic functions based on sulfobetaine methacrylate and investigated the effect of the modification on the hydration properties of the membranes,  and then on their antifouling properties. As we prepared microfiltration membranes, a potential application would be the pre-treatment of bacteria-containing wastewater.

The paper has been published in the Journal of Membrane Science (SCI, Q1) and can be viewed at this link. 

Congratulations to Ms. Huang, Ms. Wu, Mr. Lai and Mr. Liou (left to right) who successfully defended their Master's thesis.

• Ms. Huang designed asymmetric electrospun/VIPS membranes for the production of cell-free plasma.

• Ms. Wu developed a spray-coating strategy for top-to-bottom antifouling modification of porous membranes.

• Mr. Lai developed zwitterionic green membranes for bacterial removal from wastewater.

• Mr. Liou worked on a novel photocatalytic membrane reactor for addressing the issue of antibiotics in wastewater.
  
  For some of them, the work has been published. For others, it is being revised or about to be submitted. Thank you for the hard work!

Being set to graduate in June 2024, Ms. Yi-Ling Wu has just published her Master's research work, focussing on the development of antifouling membranes by spray-coating modification, in Separation and Purification Technology (SCI, Q1).

By adjusting the spray-coating parameters, Ms. Wu was able to attain full wettability of highly hydrophobic membranes, from the top surface to the bottom one, despite solely spraying an amphiphilic copolymer on the top surface. It implies that the coating penetrates the entire bulk of the membrane. It is not solely a surface modification, but a bulk modification and it is achieved in just a few seconds. Thus, it competes with common blending modification for which common issues are (1) the compatibility of the main polymer and the antifouling copolymer, and (2) surface segregation that results in low density of the antifouling material in the deeper layers. It resulted in excellent antifouling performances against various bacteria, and as such, the membranes could be utilized in wastewater treatment. 

The group members recently showcased their research work at the Annual Meeting of the Polymer Society in Tainan, held on January 24th and 25th. The conference provided a platform for them to present their work both orally and through poster presentations.

As a highlight, M.  Ting-Wei Chen and Ms. Yi-Ling Wu were honored for their presentations titled, "Manipulating VIPS parameters for wettability optimization and enhancement of the DCMD performances of PVDF membranes" and "Leveraging amphiphilic copolymers of sulfobetaine methacrylamide for the construction of sterilization-tolerant and fouling-resistant poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes", respectively. Their dedication to their research work stood out, earning them well-deserved recognition. Congratulations to them and all the members of our lab who took part in the event!

Thank you to Dr. Maggay for writing and publishing a study on the development of PTFE-based membranes able to kill bacteria during filtration. The membranes were modified with amine functional groups via dielectric barrier discharge plasma in order to endow them with antibacterial properties. In addition, the surface properties of the membranes can be regenerated by salt washing and the membranes can then be reused. 

The findings of this work can be read in the ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (SCI, Q1) here.

Some of us are present at ICOM 2023 (International Conference on Membranes and Membrane Processes), held in Chiba (Japan).

Dr. Maggay, a postdoctoral researcher in our laboratory, delivered a captivating talk on the formation of macrovoids-free and skin-free polysulfone membranes in one step.

Dr. Maggay's compelling presentation showcased the team's rigorous methodology and intersting findings with the promise of enhanced membrane mechanical properties without sacrificing the membrane performances (such as their permeability).

Stay tuned for further updates as we delve deeper into the world of membrane research, guided by Dr. Maggay's pioneering contributions!

Congratulations to Shih-Hong Liou on his well-deserved award at the students' poster contest at the International Membrane Conference in Taiwan (IMCT 2023)! His achievement is a testament to his very good attitude,  commitment,  determination, and resilience which genuinely sets him apart from the rest of the lab.

It was truly inspiring to witness Shih-Hong Liou's exceptional dedication during the students' poster contest at the International Membrane Conference in Taiwan (IMCT 2023). Despite being tired, he exhibited an unwavering commitment and stayed until the very end, giving his maximum effort. In stark contrast, it was disheartening to see that others merely showed up without fully engaging, leaving promptly after their presentations as if they already knew that they stood no chance since they did not give their best effort. Such behavior not only showed a lack of respect for the lab, but also for the organizers and more importantly, for the other students who were awarded. 

May Shih-Hong's remarkable display of dedication and perseverance serve as a shining example for others, and may his attitude continue to bring him success in his future endeavors. Congratulations once again on a well-deserved award!

 
"Do the job well, or don't do it at all"

(= it's not about winning or losing but giving your maximum effort. If you don't want to do the job well, don't show up at the event) 

We have recently contributed to the writing of an experimental study on the surface modification of polypropylene (PP) membranes by dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. DBD permitted to graft and polymerize zwitterionic sulfobetaine methacrylate and the goal was to develop leukoreduction filters. Promising results were obtained as the membrane could reject more leukocytes than different commercial alternatives, still permitting a high recovery rate of erythrocytes. The work has been published in the Journal of Membrane Science (SCI, Q1, IF 10.53) and can be viewed here. 

Ms. Kuo-Yun Chang's work has been recently accepted for publication in Desalination (SCI, Q1 IF 11.211). During her Master's research work which she is set to present at the end of next June, Ms. Chang has been working on the adjustment of the morphology of VIPS membranes in order to make them suitable for desalination applications. She managed to develop superhydrophobic membranes in one single step (the vast majority of recent studies report multi-step processes), that could deliver high transmembrane flux (about 35 LMH) and rejection (99.99%) under a relatively low gradient of temperature (35°). Her membranes outperform state-of-the-art membranes in terms of flux and rejection.

We have recently investigated the possibility of preparing 3 antifouling membranes with distinct pore size range from 1 single dope solution (i.e one formulation), using different phase-inversion processes: the VIPS process, the LIPS process and a combination of the EIPS and LIPS processes. Then we used these 3 membranes in a wastewater treatment process. This invesitgation was led by Dr. Maggay and Ms. Hsin-Pei Lin and has been recently accepted for publication in Separation and Purification Technology (SCI, Q1 IF 9.136).

The paper can be viewed here