The National Center for International Joint Research on Membrane Science and Technology

Introduction of the Center

I. History

The National Center for International Joint Research on Membrane Science and Technology was built by Ministry of Science and Technology of China in 2016. The history of the Center can be traced back to 1974 and the first industrialized hollow fiber membrane modules were developed. The Center has acquired the technical equipment and development conditions like the theoretical research of membrane basis, research and development of new-type hollow fiber membranes and the process development of the membranes after the development of more than 40 years. And a high-level research team of membrane science and technology has been formed as well as the service platform of applicable basic technology innovation of important membrane materials and membrane process.

II. Major achievements

The Center focuses on the scientific and technological innovation and breaks through in the fields of the control means for the membrane-forming of differential phases, the control theory of multi-hole structures of hollow fiber membranes, membrane integration and the pollution control technologies, new type of melt-blown non-woven materials for high efficiency air filtration. The world famous national brand “Jinmo Technology”(300334) cultivated by the Center essential technologies came into the market in 2012, where the biggest manufacturing base for hollow fiber membranes in Asia, industrial base for the new materials of NDRC(National Development and Reform) were established. It also ranks in the leading position domestically in the research and development of whole series of hollow fiber membranes and the application process and equipment with the output sold out to more than 30 countries and areas.

III. Public platforms

There are three public platforms, including analysis center, evaluation center for membrane performance and standardized research center, and also modern analytical instruments at almost 0.2 billion yuan which can realize the elaborate monitor and analysis from the physical and chemical structures of membrane materials under the mocro-environment to the structural alterations during the process of membrane application etc.

IV. International Cooperation

The Center has the widespread cooperation and commnucations with the scientific research insititutions in America, Germany, Austrilia, UK, Japn, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa and etc. It has been the important platform for foreign cooperation in the field of separation membranes in China.

In the future, the Center will aim at the strategic requirements in the fields of resources, environment, energies, biological medicines, and etc, highlight the features of hollow fiber membranes, develop the high performance and functional technologies of separation membranes.

Reseach Orientation:

1.     The taking-shape mechanisms of separation membranes

The research highlights the taking shapes of membranes and functional fibers, including solution phase separation, hole forming due to melting and stretching, hole forming and phase separation due to heat, composite membranes and fiber separation membranes. Centering on the microstructure formation mechanism and control method and the changes in the relationship between the forming mechanism and membrane structure, the research studies the cavernous structures of the materials, the forming mechanism of finger hole structures and the shifting mechanism among each other, studing the relationships of membrane structures and the forming of membrane holes, membrane hole structures and states of aggregation, membrane performance under the process condition that different materials are coordinatively composited and the spinning is formed.

2.     Membrane material and functional design

The design research of material function is carried out based on fully understanding the forming mechanism of the membranes, directed by the theories of chemistry, chemical engineering and material science, applying molecular simulation, molecular design, molecular assembly and etc. by chemical or physical means to explore the performance relationships of multi-scale structures like the molecular structures of membrane forming, aggregation structures, phase zone structures and morphological structure with the membranes in molecular level. The design methods of new-type functional materials and membranes are founded to face the process of application and provide the theoretical supports for the separation membranes of new high performance with more ideal molecular structures, anti-pollution, high permeability selectivity, better filtering performance.

3.     Membrane integrated technologies and membrane standardization

As regards to the common key issues during the application of the membranes, the research highlights the mechanism of membrane pollution and control methods in the process of membranes, membrane mass transfer dynamics, the structural optimized designs of membrane modules, the process of membrane seperaton, the stability of membranes and the standardization studies of the membrane technologies during the service time and etc.