Ion exchange membranes (IEM), broadly divided into proton exchange membranes (PEM) and anion exchange membranes (AEM), have increasingly received worldwide attention as critical components in electrochemical devices including fuel cells, electrolyzers, flow batteries and electrodialysis. IEMs with superior ion conductivity, low fuel crossover, chemical and mechanical durability are highly demanded for broad implementation of these devices. To surmount the challenges, we have employed a wide range of nanomaterials encompassing nanotubes, two-dimensional nanosheets, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) to prepare IEMs with bioinspired structures as alternatives to traditional polymer networks. We aim to construct well-defined channels within the membranes toward efficient ion transport with low fuel crossover and meanwhile a rigid framework toward mechanical robustness. In terms of electrodialysis and related applications, we focus on the geometric structure and functionalities of the ionic channels to achieve reduced Ohmic resistance and efficient ion selection of the IEMs.

Gas separation processes are energy-intensive and ubiquitous in the modern world, especially in natural gas refineries and chemical manufacturing where they are widely used to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and to acquire pure components. Membrane technology, as an energy efficiency and environment friendly purification method, has attracted industrial and academic attentions. Aiming at the separation of alkenes from alkanes (C₂H₄/C₂H₆, C₃H₆/C₃H₈), greenhouse gases from flue gas (CO₂/N₂) and nature gas (CO₂/CH₄), we are committed to develop a range of efficient gas separation membranes with high permeance, selectivity and stability. A set of membranes have been designed to achieve our goal, including porous framework membranes, porous organic polymer membranes, two-dimensional (2D) membranes and mixed matrix membranes.

Water treatment, reuse and recycling hold great promise in realizing the sustainable development of modern society. Our team focuses on the forefront of scientific research in water treatment including MF, UF, NF and RO membranes and membrane process based on the biomimetic and bioinspired strategies. Through the material design from unordered polymer to ordered framework units, the structural design from uniform surface to heterogeneous surface, and the antifouling mechanisms from passive defense to active inhibition, a variety of novel membranes with high perm-selectivity and superior antifouling property have been developed. The ultra-high flux, ultra-low flux decline, ultra-thin structure, and ultra-low energy consume membranes and membrane process are the next-generation target. Our team has set up bioinspired membrane product line cooperated with enterprises, and undertaken National Key Research and Development Program to design multi-membrane-process and achieve near-zero-discharge for wastewater treatment in coal chemical industry.

Pervaporation, a green and energy-saving membrane process for separating liquid mixture at molecular scale, has played increasingly critical role among various membrane-based technologies. The strong and complex interactions among liquid molecules put forward severe requirements for the design and preparation of membrane materials with high separation efficiency and long-term stability. Aiming at developing petrochemical industry and clean energy, our research interests focus on the separation of liquid mixtures with similar molecular structures, such as alcohol dehydration (ethanol/water and butanol/water), gasoline desulfurization (thiophene/octane) and xylene separation (p-xylene/o-xylene/m-xylene). Thus, we innovatively applied a research strategy following a sequence of material-structure-mechanism-performance, which is established based on molecular properties and membrane materials. We have designed a series of membranes, including porous framework membranes, porous organic polymer membranes, 2D membranes and mixed matrix membranes, for efficient separations and explored the corresponding mass transport mechanisms.

Natural photosynthesis displays an exquisite model system for solar to chemical energy conversion by integrating light harvesting complex and highly efficient biocatalyst. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, semiconductor as efficient solar spectrum harvesting materials and precisely designed chemical catalyst have been extensively combined for solar fuel and chemical production. Alternatively, integrating the high activity & selectivity of biocatalyst, and the light harvesting capability of semiconductor is becoming an emerging and competitive technology platform for renewable energy production. However, the electron/molecule transfer and compatibility between biocatalyst and synthetic materials still restrict their performance, and puzzle the numerous researchers. Enlighted by the membrane structure and functions in chloroplast, we aim to use bioinspired membranes for coupling the photocatalysis and enzyme catalysis for artificial photosynthesis. The membranes can well facilitate the electron transfer and molecule diffusion, while prohibit the contact of enzyme with photocatalyst, avoiding the deactivation of enzymes. Finally, the solar-to-chemical efficiency of the PEM can be remarkably enhanced.

Visible light-driven photocatalysis, which employs solar light as the energy source, has gained considerable attention for its potential in solving the environmental pollution and energy shortage concurrently. Photocatalysts with high activity, superior stability, substantial availability and unlimited tunability, as the core of photocatalysis technology, are highly desired. To surmount the challenge, we have studied a wide range of photocatalytic nanomaterials including TiO₂, SrTiO₃, graphite carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄), metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent organic frameworks (COFs) and aimed to their modification by extending the photoabsorption, boosting charge transfer and exposing active sites to improve the performance. Particularly, inspired by the idea of biomineralization and bioadhension, we get involved in the structure design by the morphology modulation and heterojunction construction, and the relationship between structures and functions including water splitting, nitrogen fixation and organic dye degradation.