The Research and Postgraduate Centre congratulates Soh Leong Sing, Hong Seang Uyin, and Assoc. Prof. Ir. Dr. Yong Wai Fen from the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering for the recent article published in Chemical Engineering Journal, an SCI Q1 journal with the latest impact factor of 15.1.
Entitled “Green solvent-synthesized polyimide membranes for gas separation: Coupling Hansen solubility parameters and synthesis optimization”, this is a collaborative research with Dr. Liang Can Zeng from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS). Soh Leong Sing and Hong Seang Uyin published this research work as co-first authors. They are both master’s students under the supervision of Dr. Yong Wai Fen, the corresponding author.
This research is funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 22108118), Xiamen University Malaysia Research Fund (grant number: XMUMRF/2021-C8/IENG/0042), and Hengyuan International Sdn. Bhd. (grant number: EENG/0003).
The research employed a green solvent, namely TamiSolve® NxG, to synthesize green polyimide membranes for gas separation. The polyimide membranes developed from the optimized synthesis conditions ameliorated the gas separation performance with more than 30 % increment in O2 and CO2 permeabilities without compromising their O2/N2, CO2/N2, and CO2/CH4 selectivities. Much promisingly, the 6FDA-durene membranes exhibited higher CO2 plasticization pressure of up to 25 bar as compared to conventional membranes. This work is envisaged to generalize the viability of applying green solvents in polymer synthesis to foster insights into both fundamental knowledge and potential implications in sustainable membrane fabrication.
Free access until 10 January 2024: https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1i7Vl_VWlWH3G6
The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2023.147451.
This graphical abstract delineates the coupling of Hansen solubility parameters and synthesis optimization to fabricate green polyimide membranes for sustainable gas separation.
| Soh Leong Sing: “It was a great honor to publish this research paper in Chemical Engineering Journal, thanks to the unwavering guidance from my supervisor, Dr. Yong Wai Fen. I also appreciate my peer, Hong Seang Uyin for his collaborative efforts throughout this endeavor. I hope this research paper could deliver insights into the utilization of green solvents to contribute toward sustainable membrane fabrication.” |
| Hong Seang Uyin: “This immersive research experience has profoundly bolstered my academic trajectory in membrane technology. My aspiration for this work is to promote the use of green solvents while paving a research avenue into the innovation of green solvents and sustainable membranes.” |
| Ir. Dr. Yong Wai Fen is an Associate Professor and Head of Postgraduate Programmes (Chemical Engineering) at the School of Energy and Chemical Engineering. Her research focuses on sustainable, green materials and membrane technologies for biogas separation, CO2 capture, industrial air purification and water purification to promote renewable energy and environmental sustainability. |
