Explore the Nano World
Wen's Research Group
Wen Zhang, Ph.D., P.E., BCEE
Principal Investigator
Professor
Phone: (973) 596-5520
Fax: (973) 596-5790
Email: wen.zhang@njit.edu
Office Location: Colton Hall 211
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The research project aims at the three daunting challenges of MD desalination, i.e., membrane wetting, membrane fouling, and limited thermal efficiency, using omniphobic/interfacial heating multifunctional MD membranes. This sustainable and multifunctional design (as illustrated in the figure) will enable cost-effective and superior thermal efficiency desalination for portable/non-portable water sources through point-of-use (POU) applications. Moreover, this new generation of desalination will improve removal efficiency of water pollutants and brine salts with improved energy efficiency and sustainability of safe drinking water production. This project will support Dr. Zhang’s doctoral students, postdoc (Dr. Weihua Qing) and other team members to carry out this project for two years from 2022 to 2024.
Dr. Zhang’s research group recently received a grant from the US Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)’s Desalination and Water Purification Research Grant to support the proposed research on Omniphobic interfacial heating membranes with robust antifouling, antiwetting performance and superior thermal efficiency in membrane distillation.