Mission:
At Dr. Alshami’s Membrane Research Laboratory, we aim to push the boundaries of membrane technology, paving the way for new, sustainable material solutions in water purification and beyond. The group is a pioneer in integrating 2D nanomaterials into membrane technology. This groundbreaking work has revolutionized terrestrial and inter-terrestrial water purification, setting new benchmarks in the field. We invite you to explore our research and join us in our journey towards a cleaner, more sustainable future.
Our facility houses state-of-the-art gas and pervaporation membrane research equipment and innovative technologies.
Separation of one medium from another can be achieved with various technologies, one of which is using membranes and some energy gradient to drive the separation. In this way, liquids and gases can be forced to permeate through a membrane to separate desired products from the rest of the media. The Alshami Research Group has used pressure-driven systems to either permeate water and retain ions and molecules or to permeate a specific gas and retain the mixture.
For water separation, a common way to picture the membrane is in three layers: the active layer, which performs the separation; the support layer, which mechanically supports the active layer; and the backing layer, which is much more mechanically robust than the support layer and is often some weave, for example, polyester or nylon. For the Alshami Research Group, graphene-based membranes have been a primary focus in water purification research. Here, graphene, graphene oxide, or a similar derivative is the active layer atop a polymer support layer. The literature demonstrated them to achieve high water permeability and reject salts and molecules such as dyes. Graphene-based membranes have also been demonstrated to have increased antifouling properties, enabling them to resist the buildup of foulants on the membrane surface during operation, thus increasing overall lifetime. With these properties, graphene-based membranes are primed to positively impact applications, including pharmaceutical purification processes, seawater, brackish water desalination, and life support systems on spacecraft and habitats in partial gravity environments.