![Dr Zhe Yang](/sites/default/files/profiles/43567.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Dr. Zhe Yang currently is an ARC DECRA fellow in the School of Chemical Engineering/Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation at the University of Queensland. He obtained his PhD degree in Environmental Engineering in 2018 at the University of Hong Kong (PhD supervisor: Prof. Chuyang Tang). He was appointed as research assistant/post-doc fellow in HKU from Nov 2018 to July 2021 and was further promoted to Research Assistant Professor from July 2021 to Dec 2023. He was recognized as a Top 1% Scholar worldwide ranked by Clarivate Analytics by citations in 2023. Dr. Yang has more than 10 years of R&D experience in membrane technology in the context of desalination, water reuse, and water/wastewater treatment. To date, he has published over 70 papers and two book chapters, with total citations of over 6,000 and an h-index of 41 based on Google Scholar. Most of these papers (90%) are published in Nature indexed/top tier journals in the field of environmental engineering and membrane technology, including Nature Communications, Nano Letters, Chemical Society Reviews, Environmental Science & Technology, Environmental Science & Technology Letters, Water Research, and Journal of Membrane Science. He has been awarded numerous prestigious awards, including The First Prize of the Water 2023 Young Investigator Award, Early Career Stars of Separation & Purification Technology, The 2022 ACS ES&T Engineering Best Paper Award, the Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions Gold Metal in 2019, etc. He currently serves as the Early Career Editorial Board member of the leading journal in his field (Desalination, IF 9.9).
Feature works:
1. Meta-analysis and establishing upper bound of reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes:
2023: His work on establishing the nanofiltration upper bound framework and investigating its impact on system performance (ACS ES&T Eng., 2, 3, (2021) 377-390) was awarded the 2022 ACS ES&T Engineering Best Paper Award.
2022: Based on the upper bound framework, Dr. Yang collaborated with several international researchers/teams from KU Leuven, Yale University, and Technion to develop an open-access database of TFC desalination membranes - Open Membrane Database (OMD) (J. Membr. Sci., 641 (2021) 119927).
2019: His work on establishing the upper bound correlation between permeance and selectivity for desalination membrane (J. Membr. Sci., 590 (2019) 117297) is the first top-cited papers published in the Journal of Membrane Science in the year 2019 and among the top 1% cited according to Essential Science Indicators (ESI Highly Cited Paper).
2. High-performance gutter layer-based reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membrane:
2017-now: His works on designing high-performance novel gutter layer-based reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes significantly advance the water permeance of conventional membranes by an order of magnitude with simultaneously improved selectivity, which successfully surpasses the permeance-selectivity upper bound. The significance of these studies is highlighted by several ESI Highly Cited Papers (Environ. Sci. Technol., 52 (2018) 9341-9349; Environ. Sci. Technol., 53 (2019) 5301-5308; Environ. Sci. Technol., 54 (2020) 11611-11621).
3. Mechanistic investigation of nanofiller-enhanced reverse osmosis membranes:
2019-now: In the membrane community, the concept of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) has successfully led to several commercialized products including Aquaporin-containing TFN membranes by Aquaporin A/S1 and zeolite-based TFN seawater and brackish RO membranes by LG-Chem NanoH2O®. Nevertheless, the mechanisms for membrane performance enhancement remained unclear. Dr. Yang's works on TFN membranes (Environ. Sci. Technol., 53 (2019) 5301-5308; Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett., 7 (2020) 766-772) unveiled the underlying transport mechanisms of TFN membranes based on a systematic framework of the interior and exterior channels of the embedded nanofillers.
Professional memberships
1. A member of Membrane Society of Australasia (MSA), since May 2024
2. A member of Australia Water Association (AWA), since April 2024
Availability
- Dr Zhe Yang is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology (华东理工大学)
- Masters (Research) of Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Doctor of Philosophy of Environmental Engineering, University of Hong Kong
Research impacts
SELECTED PRIZES, HONOURS AND AWARDS
- TOP 1% Scholar Worldwide (Link), Ranked by Clarivate Analytics, 2023
- The First Prize of the Water 2023 Young Investigator Award (Link and Interview), the Journal Water, 2023
- Early Career Stars of Separation & Purification Technology, GBA-SPT 2023 & 2nd GBA-MMP (Link), 2023
- The 2022 ACS ES&T Engineering Best Paper Award (Link), 2023
- 2022 Environmental Science & Technology Letters Best Paper Award (Link), 2023
- Stanford Top 2% of the World’s Most Cited Scholars, 2021-2023 (Link), 2021-2023
- ARC DECRA Fellowship(Link), 2023-2026
- Outstanding Paper Award, The 6th National Conference on Water Treatment and Reuse of China, 2021
- CAPEES Best Poster Presentation Award, Chinese-American Professors in Environmental Engineering and Science (CAPEES) Annual Meeting, 2021
- Gold Medal, Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions, 2019
Works
Search Professor Zhe Yang’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Multiple modulating energy-efficient nanofiltration membranes during high-quality drinking water towards high mineral/organic matter selectivity
Lu, Xiaozhen, Liu, Bin, Zhu, Xuewu, Wang, Lin, Chang, Haiqing, Yang, Zhe, Xu, Daliang, Wu, Ruoxi, Shao, Fulin, Xu, Jingtao and Liang, Heng (2024). Multiple modulating energy-efficient nanofiltration membranes during high-quality drinking water towards high mineral/organic matter selectivity. Desalination, 588 117970, 117970. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2024.117970
2024
Journal Article
Covalently modified MoS2 for the fabrication of interlayered thin film composite membranes with excellent structural stability against swelling and drying in organic solvent nanofiltration
Wang, Li, Zhang, Meng, Shu, Yufei, Han, Qi, Long, Li, Chen, Beizhao, Wang, Mengxia, Li, Li, Cao, Siyu, Yang, Zhe, Liu, Bei, Wang, Zhongying and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2024). Covalently modified MoS2 for the fabrication of interlayered thin film composite membranes with excellent structural stability against swelling and drying in organic solvent nanofiltration. Journal of Membrane Science, 707 122985, 122985. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2024.122985
2024
Journal Article
Polar Solvent-Induced Spontaneous Nanofoaming for Synthesizing Ultra-High-Performance Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes
Wang, Li Ares, He, Huimin, Gan, Qimao, Guo, Hao, Yang, Zhe, Xu, Lizhi and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2024). Polar Solvent-Induced Spontaneous Nanofoaming for Synthesizing Ultra-High-Performance Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes. Nano Letters, 24 (24), 7373-7380. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c01512
2024
Journal Article
Empowering ultrathin polyamide membranes at the water-energy nexus: strategies, limitations, and future perspectives
Sarkar, Pulak, Wu, Chenyue, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2024). Empowering ultrathin polyamide membranes at the water-energy nexus: strategies, limitations, and future perspectives. Chemical Society Reviews, 53 (9), 4374-4399. doi: 10.1039/d3cs00803g
2023
Journal Article
Gypsum scaling behavior of the tannic acid-coated polyamide reverse osmosis membrane
Chiao, Yu-Hsuan, Hu, Mengyang, Gonzales, Ralph Rolly, Yang, Zhe and Matsuyama, Hideto (2023). Gypsum scaling behavior of the tannic acid-coated polyamide reverse osmosis membrane. ACS ES and T Water, 4 (1), 237-244. doi: 10.1021/acsestwater.3c00568
2023
Journal Article
Precise regulation of monomer reactive sites enhances the water permeance and membrane selectivity of polyamide nanofiltration membranes
Jiang, Ke, Long, Li, Peng, Lu Elfa, Yang, Zhe, Liu, Wenyu, Shin, Dong-Myeong and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Precise regulation of monomer reactive sites enhances the water permeance and membrane selectivity of polyamide nanofiltration membranes. Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, 62 (46), 19813-19821. doi: 10.1021/acs.iecr.3c02779
2023
Journal Article
Enhancing the removal of organic micropollutants by nanofiltration membrane with Fe (III)–tannic acid interlayer: Mechanisms and environmental implications
Liu, Wenyu, Long, Li, Yang, Zhe, Wang, Li, Gan, Qimao, Zhou, Shenghua, Sarkar, Pulak, Guo, Hao and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Enhancing the removal of organic micropollutants by nanofiltration membrane with Fe (III)–tannic acid interlayer: Mechanisms and environmental implications. Water Research, 245 120623, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2023.120623
2023
Journal Article
Oil-water receiving membrane with sub-10 nm surfactant layer for long-lasting oil-water separation
Ding, Yajie, Qiu, Nianxiang, Wang, Jianqiang, Yang, Zhe, Liu, Fu and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Oil-water receiving membrane with sub-10 nm surfactant layer for long-lasting oil-water separation. Journal of Membrane Science, 684 121820, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121820
2023
Journal Article
Modeling nanovoid-enhanced water permeance of thin film composite membranes
Hu, Yaowen, Wang, Fei, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Modeling nanovoid-enhanced water permeance of thin film composite membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 675 121555, 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.121555
2023
Journal Article
Polyelectrolyte-assisted interfacial polymerization for polyamide nanofiltration membrane with enhanced separation and anti-biofouling properties in groundwater treatment
Mei, Ying, Yang, Zhe, Sun, Peng-Fei, Zhou, Shenghua, Guo, Hao, Peng, Lu Elfa, Yao, Zhikan, Yang, Wulin and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Polyelectrolyte-assisted interfacial polymerization for polyamide nanofiltration membrane with enhanced separation and anti-biofouling properties in groundwater treatment. Desalination, 555 116546, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2023.116546
2023
Journal Article
Making waves: Why do we need ultra-permeable nanofiltration membranes for water treatment?
Yang, Zhe, Wu, Chenyue and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Making waves: Why do we need ultra-permeable nanofiltration membranes for water treatment?. Water Research X, 19 100172, 1-5. doi: 10.1016/j.wroa.2023.100172
2023
Journal Article
Does surface roughness necessarily increase the fouling propensity of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes by humic acid?
Gan, Qimao, Wu, Chenyue, Long, Li, Peng, Lu Elfa, Yang, Zhe, Guo, Hao and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Does surface roughness necessarily increase the fouling propensity of polyamide reverse osmosis membranes by humic acid?. Environmental Science and Technology, 57 (6), 2548-2556. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c07872
2023
Journal Article
Ionic resource recovery for carbon neutral papermaking wastewater reclamation by a chemical self-sufficiency zero liquid discharge system
Qiu, Yangbo, Wu, Sifan, Xia, Lei, Ren, Long-Fei, Shao, Jiahui, Shen, Jiangnan, Yang, Zhe, Tang, Chuyang Y., Wu, Chao, Van der Bruggen, Bart and Zhao, Yan (2023). Ionic resource recovery for carbon neutral papermaking wastewater reclamation by a chemical self-sufficiency zero liquid discharge system. Water Research, 229 119451, 1-11. doi: 10.1016/j.watres.2022.119451
2023
Journal Article
Demystifying the role of surfactant in tailoring polyamide morphology for enhanced reverse osmosis performance: mechanistic insights and environmental implications
Gan, Qimao, Peng, Lu Elfa, Yang, Zhe, Sun, Peng-Fei, Wang, Li, Guo, Hao and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2023). Demystifying the role of surfactant in tailoring polyamide morphology for enhanced reverse osmosis performance: mechanistic insights and environmental implications. Environmental Science and Technology, 57 (4), 1819-1827. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c08076
2022
Journal Article
Facile synthesis of nanofiltration membrane with asymmetric selectivity towards enhanced water recovery for groundwater remediation
Yang, Wulin, Long, Li, Guo, Hao, Wu, Chenyue, Zhou, Shenghua, Mei, Ying, Peng, Lu Elfa, Liu, Wenyu, Yang, Zhe, Li, Wanbin and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2022). Facile synthesis of nanofiltration membrane with asymmetric selectivity towards enhanced water recovery for groundwater remediation. Journal of Membrane Science, 663 121038, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.121038
2022
Journal Article
Modeling water transport in interlayered thin-film nanocomposite membranes: gutter effect vs funnel effect
Wang, Fei, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2022). Modeling water transport in interlayered thin-film nanocomposite membranes: gutter effect vs funnel effect. ACS ES and T Engineering, 2 (11), 2023-2033. doi: 10.1021/acsestengg.2c00133
2022
Journal Article
Porous substrate affects fouling propensity of thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes
Wu, Chenyue, Long, Li, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2022). Porous substrate affects fouling propensity of thin-film composite nanofiltration membranes. Journal of Membrane Science Letters, 2 (2) 100036, 1-6. doi: 10.1016/j.memlet.2022.100036
2022
Journal Article
Distinct impact of substrate hydrophilicity on performance and structure of TFC NF and RO polyamide membranes
Dai, Ruobin, Yang, Zhe, Qiu, Zhiwei, Long, Li, Tang, Chuyang Y. and Wang, Zhiwei (2022). Distinct impact of substrate hydrophilicity on performance and structure of TFC NF and RO polyamide membranes. Journal of Membrane Science, 662 120966, 1-8. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2022.120966
2022
Journal Article
Nanofiltration membranes with crumpled polyamide films: a critical review on mechanisms, performances, and environmental applications
Shao, Senlin, Zeng, Fanxi, Long, Li, Zhu, Xuewu, Peng, Lu Elfa, Wang, Fei, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2022). Nanofiltration membranes with crumpled polyamide films: a critical review on mechanisms, performances, and environmental applications. Environmental Science and Technology, 56 (18), 12811-12827. doi: 10.1021/acs.est.2c04736
2022
Journal Article
Vacuum-assisted MPD loading toward promoted nanoscale structure and enhanced water permeance of polyamide RO membrane
Wu, Siqi, Wang, Fei, Zhou, Shenghua, Long, Li, Yang, Zhe and Tang, Chuyang Y. (2022). Vacuum-assisted MPD loading toward promoted nanoscale structure and enhanced water permeance of polyamide RO membrane. Separation and Purification Technology, 297 121547, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121547
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Zhe Yang is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Application of advanced membranes in precise separation
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Xiwang Zhang
-
Doctor Philosophy
Synthesis and applications of advanced membranes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Jingwei Hou, Professor Xiwang Zhang
Media
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