Prof. Vicki Chen from the University of New South Wales was invites by Prof. Jian Jin to visit Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech & Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SINANO) on August 30^th, and presented a scientific report on the topic of “Nanocomposite membranes for water treatment and gas separation”.

Membranes are widely used in the fields of food, medicine, metallurgy, chemical engineering, environmental protection, energy, bionics, etc. due to their relatively lower energy consumption, facile operation process and fewer secondary pollutant issues, and have received significant attention from researchers. Prof. Vicki Chen introduced her latest research works on the design, fabrication and properties of the nanocomposite membranes. Specifically, Prof. Vicki Chen introduced their fabricated Thin Film Nanocomposite membranes, ZIF-8 membranes, Janus membranes, etc. and the membrane performance in water treatment and gas separation, especially via membrane distillation process. Her wonderful work and academic report raised a heated discussion and deep reflection.

Vicki Chen is currently a professor and the Head of the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of New South Wales. After graduating with a BS in chemical engineering from MIT, she obtained a PhD from the University of Minnesota in the area of surfactant self-assembly. Her current research interests include membrane fouling, module design and nano-composite membranes for gas separation.