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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This work at NJIT provides a new perspective on novel characterization approaches for the design and quality control of polymer membrane modification and manufacturing. These novel techniques resolved the problems of special resolution for bulk contact angle measurements and the diffraction limitation for regular FTIR spectroscopy. Moreover, these new methods are likely important for investigations of surface contamination or fouling process, material weathering process, and antifouling surface design (e.g., eye contact lenses and sanitary coating).
Ph.D. Student Published Nanoscale Insights
Recently, Wanyi Fu, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has been recognized by publication in a recent issue of the journal Nanoscale. Along with her research advisor, associate professor, Dr. Wen Zhang and her industrial advisor, Dr. Christina Carbrello from Millipore Corporation and Dr. Xiaosong Wu from Pall Corporation, they have published “Visualizing and quantifying the nanoscale hydrophobicity and chemical distribution of surface modified polyethersulfone (PES) membranes”.
For their research, Wanyi Fu employed atomic force microscopy (AFM) and AFM coupled with infrared analysis capability (AFM-IR) to scrutinize the hydrophobicity and chemical distribution for the first time, and successfully resolved nanoscale structural and chemical properties of the chemically modified polyethersulfone (PES) membranes.