Yizhou Zhang

Date of Birth: 1st of February 1991

Associate Professor
Core Research Cluster for Materials Science
Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR), Tohoku University

Address: 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
Telephone: +81-22-217-5991
Email: zhang.yizhou.e4@tohoku.ac.jp
Personal Page: Visit Profile

Education

Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering Science (2013 – 2018)
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

  • Department: Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
  • Fellowship: CEST Bayer Fellowship
  • Thesis: Designing Block Polymer-Based Membranes with Tailored Surface Chemistry

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (2009 – 2013)
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA

  • Department: Chemical Engineering and Material Science Department

Professional Experience

Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan

Associate Professor (2023 – Present)
Affiliated with Core Research Cluster for Materials Science, Advanced Institute for Materials Research (WPI-AIMR)

  • Lead the research lab with a focus on soft materials for chemical separation and sensing.
  • Mentor graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on thesis study and independent research.

ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

Visiting Associate Professor (2022 – 2023)
Host professor: Dr. Jing Wang

  • Developed functional plasmonic photothermal biosensors with high sensitivity for the accurate detection of biological molecules based on nanostructured metal nanoparticles.
  • Prototyped antimicrobial natural cellulose nanofibers from the layer-by-layer self-assembly of polyelectrolytes.

Shanghai University, Shanghai, P. R. China

Associate Professor (2021 – 2023)
Affiliated with the Key Laboratory of Organic Compound Pollution Control Engineering

  • Investigated the structure-property relation of 2D graphene oxides with a self-cleaning capability for the degradation of persistent contaminants.
  • Performed controlled polymerization of polyamide regulated by amine functionalization for linearly crosslinked thin-film.

Osuji Lab, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Postdoctoral Researcher (2018 – 2020)
Advisor: Dr. Chinedum O. Osuji

  • Designed a nanofiltration membrane with water-bicontinuous nanochannels from a self-assembled liquid crystal precursor that suppresses the growth of biofilms.
  • Engineered membranes based on highly ordered, columnar lyotropic liquid crystal polymers. Developed a class of liquid crystal membranes with tunable selectivity in organic solvent nanofiltration.
  • Prepared nanostructured, breathable garment membranes for highly selective chemical vapor separation based on polymer structural engineering.

The WATER Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA

Graduate Research Assistant (2013 – 2018)
Advisor: Dr. William A. Phillip (projects in collaboration with Dr. Bryan W. Boudouris, Purdue University)

  • Developed self-assembled block polymer membranes with tailored chemistry to provide a template for selectively removing contaminants from drinking water supplies by ion exchange and filtration mechanisms.
  • Purposed a nanoconfinement strategy to fabricate polymer brush-supported micropores through the chemical functionalization of a block copolymer template.
  • Fabricated a high-throughput, high-capacity heavy metal membrane adsorber/detector to selectively purify metal ions from 1 ppm to single-digit ppb level.

Relevant Professional Experience

Research Group Lead (2014 – Present)
University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, Shanghai University, and Tohoku University

  • Leading a team of secondary school teachers, undergraduate researchers, master students, Ph.D. students, and postdocs to carry out research focused on innovative membrane applications.

Assistant Lecturer (2021 – Present)
Shanghai University

  • Delivered lecture and tutorial sessions for the Polymer Chemistry course.

Graduate Teaching Assistant (2013 – Present)
University of Notre Dame

  • Administrated class homework and exams for Advanced Chemical Engineering Curriculums.
  • Independently delivered recitations and lectured in tutorial sessions for the Transport Phenomena: Advanced Mass Transfer course.

Awards

  1. Excellence in Advanced Degree Program of Shanghai (2020)
  2. Chinese Government Award for Outstanding Self Finance Students Abroad (2019)
  3. Graduate Student Outstanding Paper Award, University of Notre Dame (2018)
  4. CEST Bayer Fellowship Award, University of Notre Dame (2017)
  5. Best Poster Award, Midwest Imaging and Microanalysis Workshop (2017)
  6. 1st Place Student Research Presentation, GLCACS (2017)
  7. 1st Place Poster Award, North American Membrane Society Conference (2016)
  8. NSF Stipend Award, North American Membrane Society Conference (2016)

Publications

Publications in Progress

  1. Yizhou Zhang and Chinedum Osuji. Tunable and Ordered Nanoporous Polymers for Precise Chemical Separations. In progress.
  2. Yizhou Zhang and Chinedum Osuji. Breathable Liquid Crystal Membranes with Well-defined Permeation Channels as Protective Garment Against Vapor Toxicant. In progress.

Selected Publications

  1. Yizhou Zhang, Dahin Kim, Ruiqi Dong, Xunda Feng, Chinedum O. Osuji. Tunable organic solvent nanofiltration in self-assembled membranes at the sub–1 nm scale. Sci. Adv. 2022, 8 (11), eabm5899.
  2. Yinuo Wang, Ya-Xin Li, Qing Li, Ruoyin Jia, Qingchen Tang, Hairui Huang, Yizhou Zhang*, and Xunda Feng. Highly Ordered Gyroid Nanostructured Polymers: Facile Fabrication by Polymerizable Pluronic Surfactants. *ACS Macro Lett.* 2024, 13, 550-557.
  3. Tong Wu, Hanyu Wu, Xunda Feng, Shuangjiang Luo, Minghong Wu, and Yizhou Zhang*. High-flux polyamide nanofiltration membranes via phosphate saline-buffered polymerization. *J. Membr. Sci.* 2023, 681, 121770.
  4. Tong Wu, Wenqian Chen, Minghong Wu, and Yizhou Zhang*. Membrane-based purification and recovery of phosphate and antibiotics by two-dimensional zeolitic nanoflakes. *RSC. Adv.* 2023, 13, 18799-18811.
  5. Hanyu Wu, Hairui Huang, Yizhou Zhang, Xinglin Lu, Pawel W. Majewski, Xunda Feng*. Stabilizing Differential Interfacial Curvatures by Mismatched Molecular Geometries: Toward Polymers with Percolating 1 nm Channels of Gyroid Minimal Surfaces. *ACS Nano* 2022, 16, 21139-21151.
  6. Luqi Xiao, Ju Bai, Wei Lai, Yang Jiao, Qi Wu, Hongyan Liu, Yizhou Zhang, Linglong Shan, and Shuangjiang Luo. Zwitterionic liquid hydrogel sustained-release strategy for high-performance nanofiltration membrane. Sep. Purif. Tech. 2022, 303, 122272.
  7. Yizhou Zhang, Ruiqi Dong, Uri R. Gabinet, Ryan Poling-Skutvik, Na Kyung Kim, Changyeon Lee, Omar Q. Imran, Xunda Feng, Chinedum O. Osuji. Rapid Fabrication by Lyotropic Self-Assembly of Thin Nanofiltration Membranes with Uniform 1 Nanometer Pores. ACS Nano 2021, 15, 8192.
  8. Michael P. Dugas, Graham van Every, Bumjun Park, John R. Hoffman, Ryan LaRue, Aaron M. Bush, Yizhou Zhang, Jennifer Schaefer, David Latulippe, and William A. Phillip. Resilient Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration Membranes Fabricated from Copolymers. Mol. Syst. Des. Eng. 2020, 5, 943.
  9. Xunda Feng, Qaboos Imran, Yizhou Zhang (co-first author), Lucas Sixdenier, Xinglin Lu, Gilad Kaufman, Utri Gabinet, Kphsuke Kawabata, Menachem Elimelech, Chinedum O. Osuji. Precise Nanofiltration in a Fouling-resistant Self-assembled Membrane with Water-continuous Transport Pathways. Sci. Adv. 2019, 5 (8), eaav9308.
  10. Yizhou Zhang, Joseph R. Vallin, Jugal K. Sahoo, Feng Gao, Bryan W. Boudouris, Matthew J. Webber, William A. Phillip. High-Affinity Detection and Capture of Heavy Metal Ions using Block Polymer Composite Membranes. ACS Cent. Sci., 2018, 4 (12), 1697-1707.
  11. Shuangjiang Luo, Qinnan Zhang, Yizhou Zhang, Kevin P. Weaver, William A. Phillip, Ruilan Guo. Facile Synthesis of a Pentiptycene-Based Highly Microporous Organic Polymer for Gas Storage and Water Treatment. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2018, 10 (17), 15174-15182.
  12. Yizhou Zhang, Noelia E Almodovar, Jacob L. Weidman, David S. Corti, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip. Fit-for-Purpose Block Polymer Membranes Molecularly-Engineered for Water Treatment. npj Clean Water 2018, 1, 2.
  13. Yizhou Zhang, Ryan A. Mulvenna, Siyi Qu, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip. Block Polymer Membranes Functionalized with Nanoconfined Polyelectrolytes Achieve Sub-Nanometer Selectivity. ACS Macro Lett. 2017, 6, 726-732.
  14. Yizhou Zhang, Ryan A. Mulvenna, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip. Nanomanufacturing of High-Performance Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration Membranes by Coating Uniform Block Polymer Films from Solution. J. Mater. Chem. A. 2017, 5 (7), 3358-3370.
  15. Yizhou Zhang, Jessica L. Sargent, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip. Nanoporous Membranes Generated from Self-Assembled Block Polymer Precursors: Quo Vadis? J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132 (21), 41683-41699.

Patents

  1. Chinedum Osuji, Yizhou Zhang, Xunda Feng, Lucas Sixdenier. Polymeric composite membranes having oriented nanochannels and methods of making the same, WO2022032236A2, WIPO (PCT).
  2. Yizhou Zhang, William Phillip, Matthew Webber, Bryan Boudouris. Block polymer composite membranes, WO2020092612 (PCT).

Conference Presentations

  1. Yizhou Zhang, Polymer Thin-film with Ordered Structure for Separation. The 15th Water Treatment Conference of China. Chinese Chemical Society, 2021, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China.
  2. Yizhou Zhang, Lyotropic Liquid Crystals in Water Applications. The 5th Forum of Young Scholars in Liquid Crystals, 2021, Xiamen, Fujian, China.
  3. Yizhou Zhang and Chinedum Osuji, Lyotropic Liquid Crystals with Water-Continuous Nanostructure as Thin-film Composite Nanofiltration Membranes. North American Membrane Society 2021: Online.
  4. Yizhou Zhang and Chinedum Osuji, High-Flux, Precise Nanofiltration in a Direct Lyotropic Liquid Crystal Membrane with Water-continuous Transport Pathways. Mid-Atlantic Soft Matter Workshop 2019, Baltimore, MD.
  5. Yizhou Zhang and William Phillip, High-Flux, High Capacity Adsorptive Membranes Based on Polysulfone and Block Polymer Composites. AIChE 2018: Pittsburgh, PA.
  6. Yizhou Zhang, Siyi Qu and William A. Phillip, Designing Block Polymer-Based Membranes with Tailored Surface Chemistry. Outstanding Graduate Student Award 2018; Notre Dame, IN. (Best Paper Award)
  7. Yizhou Zhang, Ryan A. Mulvenna, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip, Self-Assembled Block Polymer Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration Membranes. Midwest Imaging and Microanalysis Workshop 2017: Notre Dame, IN. (Best poster award)
  8. Yizhou Zhang, Ryan A. Mulvenna, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip, Block Polymer Hollow Fiber Membranes Functionalized with Nanoconfined Polyelectrolyte Brushes Achieve Sub-Nanometer Selectivity. AIChE 2017: Minneapolis, MN.
  9. Yizhou Zhang, Ryan A. Mulvenna, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip, Chlorine-Tolerant Block Polymer Nanofiltration Membranes. AIChE 2017: Minneapolis, MN.
  10. Yizhou Zhang and William A. Phillip, Designing Chlorine-Tolerant Block Polymer Nanofiltration Membranes. GLCACS 2017; Chicago, IL. (1st place student research presentation award)
  11. Yizhou Zhang and William Phillip, Chlorine-tolerant Block Polymer Nanofiltration Membranes: Connecting Self-Assembly to Application. Gore Fellowship Award 2017: Newark, DE. (Award finalist)
  12. Yizhou Zhang, Jessica L. Sargent, Bryan W. Boudouris, William A. Phillip, Composite Self-Assembled Block Polymer Hollow Fiber Nanofiltration Membranes with Chemically-Tailored Pore Walls. North American Membrane Society 2016: Bellevue, WA. (Presentation 1st place award)
  13. Yizhou Zhang, Harvesting the Structures of Liquid Crystalline in Membranes, in Peking University, November 2019.
  14. Yizhou Zhang, Self-assembled Thin-films and their Implication in Environmental Technologies, in Biejing Normal University, December 2019.
  15. Yizhou Zhang, Elucidating the Nanostructured Fibrils for their Structure-Property Relationships in Separation-related Applications, in Donghua University, November 2020.

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