台大化工系網站英文版

• Education Background

  • B.S. in Chemical Engineering

    National Cheng Kung University, 2013

  • M.S. in Chemical Engineering

    National Taiwan University, 2015

  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering

    The University of Texas at Austin, 2021

  • Postdoctoral Associate in Chemical Engineering

    The University of Texas at Austin, 2021-2022

  • Postdoctoral Associate in Chemical Engineering

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2022-2024

  • Associate Executive Officer for Communications

    CENT, a DOE EFRC Center, 2023-2024

• Recent Research Topic

Our research aims to develop two-dimensional (2D) polymeric high-density porous materials and thin films for sustainable separation technologies and quantum sensing devices. Addressing global challenges such as resource shortages and energy issues is critical. Thus, we focus on the development of new 2D composite materials and advancements in efficient separation technologies to promote sustainable growth and green energy-saving processes. Key areas of focus include seawater desalination, wastewater treatment, ion transport phenomena, rare earth metal ion recovery, and energy reutilization. However, the current foundational theories within the nanoconfinement, separation technologies, and material designs encounter several challenges, particularly small molecular selectivity, nanoscale control of material properties, functionality, mechanical strength, and chemical tolerance.

Hence, to address these challenges, our research will primarily focus on the following three main areas: a) Development of 2D organic polymeric materials: structure arrangement and self-assembly, chemical patterning, and the designs of nanoporous channels, insertion into matrices, and functionality; b) Development of porous separation materials and quantum sensing devices: ion detection, chemical conversion, and separation technologies; c) Investigation of fundamental fluid dynamics, ion separations and molecular sieving, fluidic structure and transport phenomena under one-dimensional (1D) nanoscale confinement, interactions between small molecules and pores, and fluid structural reorientations. This foundational research will inform the design and optimization of novel materials for efficient separation processes. The advancements in understanding 2D polymers and membrane materials, as well as their incorporation into quantum sensing devices, will contribute to the energy-environment-water nexus.

Our long-term research goal is to design high-efficiency artificial channels and nanopores with precise control of 2D material structure alignment, chemical functional groups, and high-permeability separation membranes. By precisely controlling the structure packing and chemical composition, we aim to create tailored porous membranes with exceptional ion-ion selectivity, functionality, and permeability. The designs of 2D porous membrane materials and the development of thin-film sensing devices will contribute to advancing energy-saving technologies and sustainable applications, such as water purification, liquid ion separation, environmental monitoring, and sustainable energy recovery and conversion.
 

1. Tu, Y.M.†, Kuehne, M.†, Misra, R.H., Ritt, C.L., Faucher, S., Oliaei, H., Li, H., Xu, X., Yang, J., Penn, A., Cumings, J., Majumdar, A., Aluru, N.R., Blankschtein, D. and Strano, M.S. “Environmental Damping and Vibrational Coupling of Confined Fluids within Isolated Carbon Nanotubes.” Nature Communications 15, no. 1 (2024): 5605. (8/134, MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES; IF: 14.7) (Published Online: 03 July 2024)
2. Oh, H.†, Tu, Y. M.†, Samineni, L., De Respino. S., Mehrafrooz, B., Joshi, H., Massenburg, L., Lopez, H., Elessawy, N., Song, W., Behera, H., Boorla, V.S., Lin, Y.C., Maranas, C., Aksimentiev, A., Freeman, B.D. and Kumar, M., “Dehydrated Biomimetic Membranes with Skinlike Structure and Function.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 16, no. 16 (2024): 20865-20877. (69/438, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; IF: 8.3) (Published Online: 10 April 2024, Issue Date: 24 April 2024)
3. Samineni, L., De Respino, S., Depaolis, M., Mohanty, R.P., Tu, Y.M., Velegol, S. and Kumar, M. “Highly effective nanoparticle removal in plant-based water filters.” Environmental Science: Advances 2, no. 8 (2023): 1130-1138. (Published Online: 10 July 2023)
4. Samineni, L., De Respino, S., Tu, Y.M., Chowdhury, R., Mohanty, R.P., Oh, H., Geitner, M., Alberg, C.H., White., A.H., McKenzie, S., Lemus, C., Massey, J., Ghoshc, D., Velegol, S. and Kumar, M. “Effective pathogen removal in sustainable natural fiber Moringa filters.” npj Clean Water 5, no. 1 (2022): 1-12. (2/100, WATER RESOURCES; IF: 12.19) (Published Online: 6 July 2022)
5. Shen, J., Roy, A., Joshi, H., Samineni, L., Ye, R., Tu, Y.M., Song, W., Skiles, M., Kumar, M., Aksimentiev, A., and Zeng, H., “Fluorofoldamer-Based Salt- and Proton-Rejecting Artificial Water Channels for Ultrafast Water Transport.” Nano Letters 22, no. 12 (2022): 4831-4838. (32/345, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; IF: 12.26) (Published Online: 8 June 2022)
6. Koner, S., Tawfik, J., Mashali, F., Kennison, K. B., Heberle, F. A., Tu, Y.M., Kumar, M., Sarles, S. A., “Homogeneous hybrid droplet interface bilayers assembled from binary mixtures of DPhPC phospholipids and PB-b-PEO diblock copolymers.” Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA)-Biomembranes 1864, no. 10 (2022): 183997. (26/72, BIOPHYSICS; IF: 4.02) (Published Online: 16 June 2022, Issue Date: October 2022)
7. De Respino. S., Samineni. L., Tu, Y.M., Oh, H. and Kumar, M., “Simultaneous Removal of Oil and Bacteria in a Natural Fiber Filter.” Environmental Science & Technology Letters 9, no. 1 (2021): 77-83. (20/279, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; IF: 11.56) (Published Online: 15 November 2021, Issue Date: January 2022)
8. Roy, A., Shen, J., Joshi, H., Song, W., Tu, Y.M., Ruijuan, Y., Li, N., Ren, C., Kumar, M., Aksimentiev, A. and Zeng, H., “Foldamer-based ultrapermeable and highly selective artificial water channels that exclude protons.” Nature Nanotechnology 16, no. 8 (2021): 911-917. (3/414, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; 1/38, NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY; IF: 40.52) (Published Online: 20 May 2021, Issue Date: August 2021)
9. Tu, Y.M., Samineni, L., Ren, T., Schantz, A.B., Song, W., Sharma, S. and Kumar, M., “Prospective applications of nanometer-scale pore size biomimetic and bioinspired membranes.” Journal of Membrane Science 620 (2021): 118968. (7/160, ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL; 3/95, POLYMER SCIENCE; IF: 10.53) (Published Online: 18 December 2020, Issue Date: 15 February 2021)
10. Tu, Y.M.†, Song, W.†, Ren, T.†, Shen, Y.X., Chowdhury, R., Rajapaksha, P., Culp, T.E., Samineni, L., Lang, C., Thokkadam, A., ... and Kumar, M., “Rapid fabrication of precise high-throughput filters from membrane protein nanosheets.” Nature Materials 19, no. 3 (2020): 347-354. (1/165, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL; 4/345, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; IF: 47.66) (Published: 27 January 2020, Issue Date: March 2020)
11. Song, W., Joshi, H., Chowdhury, R., Najem, J.S., Shen, Y.X., Lang, C., Henderson, C.B., Tu, Y.M., Farell, M., Pitz, M.E., ... and Kumar, M., “Artificial water channels enable fast and selective water permeation through water-wire networks.” Nature Nanotechnology 15, no. 1 (2020): 73-79. (3/414, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; 1/138, NANOSCIENCE & NANOTECHNOLOGY; IF: 40.52) (Published Online: 16 December 2019, Issue Date: 02 January 2020)
12. Lang, C., Ye, D., Song, W., Yao, C., Tu, Y.M., Capparelli, C., LaNasa, J.A., Hickner, M.A., ... and Kumar, M., “Biomimetic Separation of Transport and Matrix Functions in Lamellar Block Copolymer Channel-Based Membranes.” ACS Nano 13, no. 7 (2019): 8292-8302. (20/345, MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; IF: 18.03) (Published Online: 28 June 2019, Issue Date: 23 July 2019)
13. Shih, Y.L., Huang, L.T.†, Tu, Y.M.†, Lee, B.F., Bau, Y.C., Hong, C.Y., Lee, H.L., ... and Chao, L., “Active Transport of Membrane Components by Self-organization of the Min Proteins.” Biophysical Journal 116, no. 8 (2019): 1469-1482. (Featured as the cover page of Volume 116, Issue 8, 2019) (30/72, BIOPHYSICS; IF: 3.69) (Published Online: 23 March 2019, Issue Date: 23 April 2019)
14. Song, W., Tu, Y.M., Oh, H., Samineni, L. and Kumar, M., “Hierarchical Optimization of High-Performance Biomimetic and Bioinspired Membranes.” Langmuir 35, no. 3 (2018): 589-607. (Featured as ACS Editor’s Choice) (72/179, CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; IF: 4.33) (Published Online: 21 December 2018, Issue Date: 22 January 2019)