Research Areas Membranes, Sorbents, Barriers

Research Interests 1) Mixed matrix membranes for olefin/paraffin separations
Olefin/paraffin separation is one of the most important processes in the petrochemical industry due to the highly utile applications of those gases in our everyday life. Propylene is the second most important feedstock next to ethylene with its annually increasing demands: the 90 million tons of global demand in 2014 was expected to continually increase, exceeding 130 million tons in 2023 based on IHS Chemical North American Propylene Supply Study. Currently, propylene/propane (i.e., C3H6/C3H8) separation is implemented mainly by highly energy-intensive cryogenic distillation due to the similar physical properties between C3H6 and C3H8 (i.e., Tb of C3H6 and C3H8 is -47.6 ℃ and -42.1 ℃, respectively). Membrane-based separation technique is promising due to its good energy efficiency as well as low capital cost. Conventional polymeric membranes, however, have been yet to reach and/or surpass the performance limit so-called “the upper bound”, albeit their great advantage of high processability. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) are essentially hybrid membranes consisting of inorganic molecular sieves (dispersed phase) and polymeric matrix (continuous phase). Our recent work is focused on engineering the structure of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) and polymer matrix for enhanced C3H6/C3H8 separation performance.

2) Carbon molecular sieve membranes for natural gas processing
Natural gas processing is one of the largest industrial applications of gas separation membranes. Carbon dioxide (CO2), a common impurity in natural gas, should be removed to a level of < 2% based on the U.S. gas pipeline specification in order to minimize corrosion of the pipeline as well as to obtain high heating value. Also, some low-quality natural gas reserves must undergo a nitrogen rejection process to satisfy pipeline specifications which require that the total concentration of inert gases be less than 4%. Membrane technology is promising due to its good energy efficiency and small footprint; however, it requires highly delicate molecular level engineering to improve separation efficiency as well as high pressure CO2-induced plasticization resistance. Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are a promising candidate for natural gas processing due to their peculiar pore structure-induced excellent separation performance. Recently, our group reported a simple and effective method of fabricating high-performance CMS hollow fiber membranes with excellent CO2/CH4 separation performance by pyrolysis of rigid double-stranded siloxane containing precursors [1]. Also, we developed CMS membranes with excellent N2/CH4 separation performance and identified the effect of SiOx phase on enhanced N2/CH4 separation performance.

3) Biomimetic patterning of polymeric membranes for enhanced anti-biofouling performance
Surface contamination by biological matter, so-called biofouling, is a persistent problem for materials that are exposed to aquatic environments because it degrades the materials’ function and performance efficiency. Specifically, most polymeric membranes for water treatment suffer from serious performance deterioration by biofouling, which reduces the operating efficiency of the membrane process. Recently, we demonstrated that the Sharkskin-mimetic patterns can significantly suppress the biofouling of desalination membranes and identified the anti-biofouling mechanism of topologically surface modified membranes. We are engineering the surface topology and chemical structure of polymeric membranes for enhanced long-term separation performance.

Selected Publications Ki Jin Nam, Hyun Jung Yu, Seungho Yu, Jeongho Seong, Seok-Jhin Kim, Ki Chul Kim, Jong Suk Lee, In situ synthesis of multivariate zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for C2H4/C2H6 kinetic separation, Small Methods 6 (2022) 2200772
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQzEhyBBV5w)
Heseong An, Kie Yong Cho, Seungho Yu, Ki Chul Kim, Ju Ho Shin, Ki Jin Nam, Jung Hoon Park, Jong Suk Lee, Triple-ligand zeolitic imidazolate frameworks for highly CO2 selective mixed matrix membranes, Chemical Engineering Journal 433 (2022) 133606
Heseong An, Kie Yong Cho, Qiang Lyu, Da-Shiuan Chiou, Ki Jin Nam, Dun-Yen Kang, Li-Chiang Lin, Jong Suk Lee, Facile defect engineering of zeolitic imidazolate frameworks towards enhanced C3H6/C3H8 separation performance, Advanced Functional Materials (2021) 2105577 (https://v.daum.net/v/20210907120016609)
Wonho Jung, Sunghyun Park, Kwang Soon Lee, Jae-Deok Jeon, Hyung Keun Lee, Jeong-Hoon Kim, Jong Suk Lee, Rapid thermal swing adsorption process in multi-beds scale with sensible heat recovery for continuous energy-efficient CO2 capture, Chemical Engineering Journal 392 (2020) 123656
Wansuk Choi, Changhoon Lee, Dahye Lee, Young June Won, Gi Wook Lee, Min Gyu Shin, Byoungjin Chun, Taek-Seung Kim, Hee-Deung Park, Hyun Wook Jung, Jong Suk Lee, Jung-Hyun Lee, Sharkskin-mimetic desalination membranes with ultralow biofouling, Journal of Materials Chemistry A 6 (2018) 23034-23045

Professional Experience Editorial Board Member (Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2023 – Present)
Visiting Scholar (University of California, Berkeley, 2022 – 2023)
Associate Editor (Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2021 – Present)
Senior Research Scientist (Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 2012 – 2016)
Post-doc (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2011 – 2012)