Research activity information

• Aug. 2025 The 15th conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS15), AMS15 Best Oral Presentation Award

  Zhaohuan MAI

• Optimization of OARO-RO Hybrid Systems for the Ammonium Nitrogen Recovery for Wastewater Treatment Using an Explainable Machine Learning

  Xiao Xu, Jian Zhang, Chuang Li, Zhaohuan Mai, Liheng Dai, Erda Deng, Kecheng Guan, Pengfei Zhang, Kazuo Kumagai, Susumu Hasegawa, Yuqing Lin, Keizo Nakagawa, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Elsevier BV, Sep. 2026, Desalination, 634, 120311 - 120311

  Scientific journal


• Morphology-engineered PVDF Hollow Fiber Membrane for Synergistic Anti-wetting and Anti-scaling Performance in Membrane Distillation

  Bowen Li, Shuzhen Zhao, Zhan Li, Yongxuan Shi, Xueru Yan, Zhaohuan Mai, Mengyang Hu, Yuqing Lin, Kecheng Guan, Pengfei Zhang, Eiji Kamio, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Elsevier BV, May 2026, Journal of Membrane Science, 749, 125456 - 125456

  Scientific journal


• Evaluation of Simultaneous Recovery of NH4+_N and High-purity Water from Wastewaters by OARO-RO

  Xu, X., Nakagawa, K., Kumagai, K., Yan, X., Mai, Z., Hasegawa, S., Yoshioka, T., Matsuyama, H.

  2026, Journal of Membrane Science, 738

  Scientific journal


• Tuning Membrane Structure and Fouling Resistance via Fluorine-free Hydrophobic Modification: Chitin Propionate-polyketone Membrane for Efficient Water-oil Separation

  Aulia, M.P., Nakagawa, K., Kitagawa, T., Okamoto, Y., Gonzales, R.R., Mai, Z., Matsuoka, A., Kamio, E., Yoshioka, T., Mulyati, S., Arahman, N., Matsuyama, H.

  2026, Journal of Membrane Science, 739

  Scientific journal


• Precision-Engineered Crystalline Covalent Organic Framework Membranes with Staggered ABC Stacking for High-Performance Desalination

  Jingsi Yuan, Zhaohuan Mai, Makenna Parkinson, Yunqiu Zhou, Jingwei Hou, Xueli Cao, Shi-Peng Sun, Yatao Zhang, Junyong Zhu, Menachem Elimelech

  Lead, Dec. 2025, Journal of the American Chemical Society, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Dynamic Sub‐Nanoscale “Water Fingers” in Interfacial Polymerization

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Akshay Deshmukh, Tianmu Yuan, Junyong Zhu, Jinkai Yuan, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Ayano Yamamoto, Yongxuan Shi, Wenming Fu, Kecheng Guan, Zhan Li, Pengfei Zhang, John H Lienhard, Hideto Matsuyama

  Lead, Aug. 2025, Small, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Metal‐Organic Framework Quasi‐Monolayer Integrated Composite Membranes for Selective Rare‐Metal Separation

  Aiwen Zhang, Zhaohuan Mai, Xiao Zhu, Tianqi Song, Xueru Yan, Jingwei Hou, Yatao Zhang, Hideto Matsuyama, Bart Van der Bruggen, Junyong Zhu

  Abstract Pliable integration of metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with polymers enables precise separations, advancing circular economy initiatives. Maximizing the pore functionality of MOFs is critical for rapid ion sieving but necessitates a uniform and stable distribution to expose their interpenetrated nanochannels. Here, this work reports a controlled approach for integrating an ultrathin Zr‐MOF monolayer with a flexible polyamide film using a coupled cathode electrophoretic deposition and interfacial polymerization (CED‐IP) strategy. By tuning the electric field intensity, this work achieves uniform monolayer coverage of diverse MOFs (UiO‐66, MOF‐808, and NU‐1000) with varying pore apertures on porous supports, followed by the formation of a thin‐film nanocomposite (TFN) configuration via confined IP. The exposed functional groups within these MOF pores enhance interaction with aqueous‐phase diamines, which polymerize with acyl chlorides, resulting in TFN membranes with a moderately reduced crosslinking degree, improved hydrophilicity and enhanced surface electronegativity. Experimental and simulation data reveal that the large‐pore NU‐1000 offers the lowest transport resistance in polyamide membranes, leading to an exceptional 186.3% increase in water permeance compared to control membranes. The resulting Zr‐MOF‐integrated polyamide membrane demonstrates outstanding selectivity for WO₄²⁻/Cl⁻ (50.6) and MoO₄²⁻/Cl⁻ (53.7), outperforming most MOF‐based nanofiltration membranes. These results underscore the potential of a mesoporous MOF‐monolayer based TFN membranes for low‐energy extraction of critical rare metals.

  Lead, Wiley, Jun. 2025, Advanced Functional Materials, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Nanomorphogenesis of Interlayered Polyamide Membranes for Precise Ion Sieving in Lithium Extraction

  Yongxuan Shi, Zhaohuan Mai, Kecheng Guan, Bowen Li, Qin Shen, Qiangqiang Song, Wenming Fu, Shang Xiang, Ryosuke Takagi, Hideto Matsuyama

  Corresponding, Apr. 2025, Water Research, 274

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Bioinspired Hierarchical Structure with Intensified Anti-scaling Capacity for Real Seawater Membrane Distillation

  Bowen Li, Pengfei Zhang, Zhan Li, Shang Xiang, Chuang Li, Aiwen Zhang, Kecheng Guan, Zhaohuan Mai, Mengyang Hu, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Apr. 2025, Desalination, 601

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Hierarchically Structured Porous Polyamide‐Imide Membrane for Switchable Emulsion Separation

  Pengfei Zhang, Bowen Li, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Kecheng Guan, Zhaohuan Mai, Zhan Li, Mengyang Hu, Liheng Dai, Ping Xu, Keizo Nakagawa, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Abstract The development of advanced membranes with switchable superwettability has attracted considerable attention for the efficient treatment of oily wastewater. However, challenges persist in designing and fabricating such membranes through straightforward methods. In this study, a novel strategy is presented to design switchable superwettable membranes based on micro/nano‐structured porous surfaces and surface chemical composition reorganization. A commercial amphiphilic polymer, polyamide‐imide (Torlon), is fabricated into a porous symmetric membrane with a hierarchical surface structure using a one‐step non‐solvent‐induced phase separation method. By leveraging the surface reorganization capability of amphiphilic polymers and the hierarchically porous structure, the resulting membranes demonstrate exceptional superamphiphilicity in air, underwater superoleophobicity, and underoil superhydrophobicity. These properties enable ultrahigh permeance and separation efficiency for oil‐in‐water, water‐in‐oil, and crude oil/water emulsions through a gravity‐driven process, eliminating the need for external energy. Furthermore, the membranes exhibit excellent antifouling and self‐cleaning performance, maintaining stable operation over multiple cycles. This work provides an innovative and scalable approach to next‐generation switchable superwettable membranes with broad potential applications in oily wastewater treatment and beyond.

  Corresponding, Wiley, Mar. 2025, Advanced Materials

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Multiscale Insights into Polyamide Membrane Fouling During Reverse Osmosis of Rare Earth Wastewater

  Zhaohuan Mai, Yongxuan Shi, Bowen Li, Sheng Han, Yingxin Sun, Haochen Zhu, Ping Xu, Mengyang Hu, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Lead, Feb. 2025, Journal of Membrane Science, 715

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Multifunctional Role of Surfactant in Fabricating Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes for Li⁺/Mg²⁺ Separation

  Shang Fang, Kecheng Guan, Aiwen Zhang, Liheng Dai, Siyu Zhou, Wenming Fu, Mengyang Hu, Ping Xu, Pengfei Zhang, Zhan Li, Zhaohuan Mai, Hideto Matsuyama

  Jan. 2025, Desalination, 594

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fabrication of Green Xylose-based Nanofiltration Membrane with Enhanced Performance and Chlorine Resistance

  Yumeng Xie, Jing Ren, Peng Liu, Junfeng Zheng, Zhaohuan Mai, Yanyan Liu, Xuewu Zhu, Xin Li, Daliang Xu, Heng Liang

  Jan. 2025, Desalination, 593

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Investigation on the Rejection of Mixed Salt Solution by g-C3N4 Functionalized Nanofiltration Membrane

  Zihan Xu, Zhaohuan Mai, Yanhui Wu, Xinwu Li, Xinyu Zeng, Chunchun Meng, Guangming Li, Haochen Zhu

  Jan. 2025, Desalination, 593

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Nanoconfinement Engineering of Covalent Organic Frameworks in Polyamide Membranes for High-Perselectivity Li+/Mg2+ Separation

  Zhao, S., Dai, L., Mai, Z., Li, B., Zhang, P., Zhang, M., Matsuoka, A., Guan, K., Takagi, R., Matsuyama, H.

  2025, Advanced Science, 12(23) (23)

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Constructing Re-entrant Superhydrophobic Structures on Membrane Surface for Robust Anti-wetting Membrane Distillation

  Li, B., Zhang, P., Gonzales, R.R., Li, Z., Zhao, S., Mai, Z., Guan, K., Hu, M., Dai, L., Liu, Y., Lin, Y., Yoshioka, T., Matsuyama, H.

  2025, Journal of Membrane Science, 736

  Scientific journal


• Polar Pore Surface of Polyamide Membranes Enabling Efficient Solvent Mixture Separation

  Aiwen Zhang, Kecheng Guan, Zhaohuan Mai, Zheng Wang, Liheng Dai, Chuang Li, Bowen Li, Zhan Li, Mengyang Hu, Pengfei Zhang, Hideto Matsuyama

  2025, Advanced Functional Materials

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Treatment of High-strength Wastewater with Coupled Flocculation and Membrane Filtration Prior to Ammoniacal Nitrogen Enrichment by Osmotically Assisted Reverse Osmosis

  Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Keizo Nakagawa, Susumu Hasegawa, Kazuo Kumagai, Atsushi Matsuoka, Yasunao Okamoto, Zhan Li, Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Tomoyuki Hori, Hideto Matsuyama

  Jan. 2025, Separation and Purification Technology, 352

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Polyethylenimine-assisted Preparation of Zr-MOF/GO Membranes for Radionuclide Separation

  Chuang Li, Zhan Li, Kecheng Guan, Yu-Hsuan Chiao, Pengfei Zhang, Ping Xu, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Mengyang Hu, Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Elsevier BV, Dec. 2024, Desalination, 592, 118118 - 118118

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Self‐Aggregation Control of Porphyrin for Enhanced Selective Covalent Organic Network Membranes

  Zheng Wang, Keizo Nakagawa, Kecheng Guan, Mengyang Hu, Zhaohuan Mai, Wenming Fu, Qin Shen, Yasunao Okamoto, Atsushi Matsuoka, Eiji Kamio, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Abstract Covalent organic networks (CONs) are considered ideal for precise molecular separation compared with traditional polymer membranes because their pores have a sharp molecular weight cut‐off and a robust structure. However, challenges remain with regard to tuning pores as a prerequisite for facile membrane fabrication to a defect‐free layer. Herein, a highly conjugated amino‐porphyrin is used and exploited its tunable stacking behavior to fabricate porphyrin‐based polyamide CONs with ordered structures through interfacial polymerization with acyl chlorides. Controlling the self‐aggregation behavior of the porphyrin and the conformation of the acyl chlorides can create different covalent networks. Acid‐triggered porphyrin protonation offsets stacking to reduce the pore in the network from mesopore to micropore, enabling selective molecule transport. Furthermore, different acyl chloride ligands are used to control the interlayer bonding in CONs. Accordingly, the tailored pore diameters (0.48–0.78 nm) are confirmed by the molecule rejections with performance stability over 25 days of operation, as well as under various conditions. This study leverages porphyrin chemistry and interfacial polymerization to fabricate a defect‐free CON layer with a significantly lower molecular weight cut‐off (< 330 Da) than previously reported porphyrin‐based membranes (>800 Da). This will pave the way for the development of ideal topological membranes.

  Wiley, Nov. 2024, Small, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Strategies for Improving Performance of Iron-based Catalysts in Activating Heterogeneous Fenton-like Oxidation in Pollutants Degradation: From the Perspective of Materials Structure Design

  Guorong Xu, Qian Liu, Zhaohuan Mai, Min Wang, Heli Zhao, Ke Xu

  Oct. 2024, Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 190, 794 - 820

  [Refereed]


• Practical Osmotic Agent for High-Degree Pharmaceutical Pre-Concentration by Organic Solvent Forward Osmosis

  Ryoichi Takada, Ryosuke Takagi, Zhaohuan Mai, Atsushi Matsuoka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Sep. 2024, Membranes, 14(9) (9)

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• pH-responsive Polyaryl Sulfide Sulfone Amide Membrane Containing Tertiary Amine Unit: Oxidation and Reversible Acid-base Treatment

  Xiao Huang, Shushan Yuan, Haohan Wan, Xiujing Xing, Zhaohuan Mai, Hideto Matsuyama, Gang Zhang

  Corresponding, Sep. 2024, Journal of Membrane Science, 709

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Hydrogel membrane composite reduces fouling and retains ammonium efficiently

  Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Jing Li, Pengfei Zhang, Ping Xu, Zhan Li, Mengyang Hu, Zhaohuan Mai, Kecheng Guan, Hideto Matsuyama

  Aug. 2024, Environmental Chemistry Letters, 22(4) (4), 1615 - 1621

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• One-Step Phase Separation and Mineralization Fabrication of Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment

  Mengyang Hu, Yu Hsuan Chiao, Wenming Fu, Pengfei Zhang, Shang Fang, Kecheng Guan, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Zhan Li, Ping Xu, Zhaohuan Mai, Liheng Dai, Hideto Matsuyama

  Jul. 2024, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 16(29) (29), 38723 - 38732

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Ternary-coordination-regulated Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes for Li⁺/Mg²⁺ Separation

  Shang Fang, Kecheng Guan, Siyu Zhou, Qiangqiang Song, Yongxuan Shi, Wenming Fu, Zhan Li, Ping Xu, Mengyang Hu, Zhaohuan Mai, Pengfei Zhang, Hideto Matsuyama

  Jul. 2024, Desalination, 581

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Influence of Polar Solvent in Formation and Organic Solvent Separation Performance of Novel Fluorine-containing Polyamide Membranes

  Guorong Xu, Zhaohuan Mai, Wenming Fu, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Yu Hsuan Chiao, Luyao Deng, Mengyang Hu, Kecheng Guan, Ping Xu, Pengfei Zhang, Zhan Li, Hideto Matsuyama

  Lead, Jul. 2024, Journal of Membrane Science, 706

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Nanomorphogenesis of Polyamide Membranes by Regulating Activator-inhibitor Diffusivity Difference

  Yongxuan Shi, Zhaohuan Mai, Qin Shen, Qiangqiang Song, Wenming Fu, Shang Xiang, Mengyang Hu, Kecheng Guan, Ryosuke Takagi, Hideto Matsuyama

  Corresponding, May 2024, Journal of Membrane Science, 702

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fabrication of polydopamine/rGO Membranes for Effective Radionuclide Removal

  Chuang Li, Zhan Li, Zheng Wang, Kecheng Guan, Yu Hsuan Chiao, Pengfei Zhang, Ping Xu, Ralph Rolly Gonzales, Mengyang Hu, Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Matsuyama

  Mar. 2024, ACS Omega, 9(12) (12), 14187 - 14197

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Charge-Sign-Independent Separation of Mono- and Divalent Ions With Nanofiltration Membranes

  Ping Xu, Shaofan Duan, Zhan Li, Mengyang Hu, Pengfei Zhang, Liheng Dai, Zhaohuan Mai, Kecheng Guan, Hideto Matsuyama

  2024, Advanced Functional Materials

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Sodium-Ion Traps in a Two-Dimensional Confined Channel for Effective Water and Ion Selective Transport

  Liheng Dai, Kecheng Guan, Zhaohuan Mai, Shang Fang, Shuzhen Zhao, Mengyang Hu, Zhan Li, Pengfei Zhang, Ping Xu, Hideto Matsuyama

  2024, Nano Letters, 24(43) (43), 13686 - 13694

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Boosted Intracavity Aperture in Macrocyclic Amines Enabling Finely Regulated Microporous Membranes

  Shuangqiao Han, Zhen Lu, Junyong Zhu, Zhaohuan Mai, Hideto Matsuyama, Tao He, Yatao Zhang

  Corresponding, 2024, Nano Letters, 24(40) (40), 12382 - 12389, English, International magazine

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Wetting-and scaling-resistant superhydrophobic hollow fiber membrane with hierarchical surface structure for membrane distillation

  Zhang, P., Xiang, S., Gonzales, R.R., Li, Z., Chiao, Y.-H., Guan, K., Hu, M., Xu, P., Mai, Z., Rajabzadeh, S., Nakagawa, K., Matsuyama, H.

  2024, Journal of Membrane Science, 693

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Energy-efficient trehalose-based polyester nanofiltration membranes for zero-discharge textile wastewater treatment

  Luo, X., Jiang, L., Zhao, R., Wang, Y., Xiao, X., Ghazouani, S., Yu, L., Mai, Z., Matsuyama, H., Jin, P.

  2024, Journal of Hazardous Materials, 465

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Ultra/loose nano-filtration polyarylene ether sulfone membranes with reversibly tunable pore size enabled via amine oxide units

  Deng, X., Mai, Z., Wan, H., Zhu, J., Matsuyama, H., Yuan, S., Zhang, G., Xing, X., Van der Bruggen, B.

  Lead, 2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 682

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Nanomorphogenesis of template-induced crumpled polyamide nanofiltration membranes

  Shi, Y., Wang, Z., Mai, Z., Shen, Q., Song, Q., Fu, W., Xiang, S., Fang, S., Zhang, P., Chiao, Y.-H., Guan, K., Matsuyama, H.

  Corresponding, 2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 686

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Improvement of anti-wetting and anti-scaling properties in membrane distillation process by a facile fluorine coating method

  Li, Z., Zhang, P., Chiao, Y.-H., Guan, K., Gonzales, R.R., Xu, P., Mai, Z., Xu, G., Hu, M., Kitagawa, T., Yoshioka, T., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Desalination, 566

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Hybrid osmotically assisted reverse osmosis and reverse osmosis (OARO-RO) process for minimal liquid discharge of high strength nitrogenous wastewater and enrichment of ammoniacal nitrogen

  Gonzales, R.R., Nakagawa, K., Kumagai, K., Hasegawa, S., Matsuoka, A., Li, Z., Mai, Z., Yoshioka, T., Hori, T., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Water Research, 246

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Thin continuous membrane coating with high surface energy for comprehensive antifouling seawater distillation

  Jia, Y., Guan, K., Mai, Z., Fang, S., Li, Z., Zhang, P., Zou, D., Jiang, X., He, G., Matsuyama, H.

  Corresponding, 2023, Water Research, 244

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Thin film composite membrane with improved permeance for reverse osmosis and organic solvent reverse osmosis

  Guan, K., Fang, S., Zhou, S., Fu, W., Li, Z., Gonzales, R.R., Xu, P., Mai, Z., Hu, M., Zhang, P., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 688

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Regulating interfacial polymerization via a multi-functional calcium carbonate based interlayer for a highly permselective nanofiltration membrane

  Hu, M., Fu, W., Guan, K., Gonzales, R.R., Song, Q., Matsuoka, A., Mai, Z., Chiao, Y.-H., Zhang, P., Li, Z., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 11(16) (16), 8836 - 8844

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Side-Chain-Dependent Functional Intercalations in Graphene Oxide Membranes for Selective Water and Ion Transport

  Guan, K., Mai, Z., Zhou, S., Fang, S., Li, Z., Xu, P., Chiao, Y.-H., Hu, M., Zhang, P., Xu, G., Nakagawa, K., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Nano Letters, 23(13) (13), 6095 - 6101

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Osmotically assisted solvent reverse osmosis membrane for dewatering of aqueous ethanol solution

  Chiao, Y.-H., Mai, Z., Hung, W.-S., Matsuyama, H.

  Lead, 2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 672

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Effect of conventional and Gemini surfactants on the micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration process performance for the separation of Au(III) from aqueous solutions: A dissipative particle dynamics study

  Abdi, S., Nasiri, M., Mai, Z.

  2023, Chemical Engineering Research and Design, 191, 578 - 589

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Cleanable natural-sugar-alcohol-based polyester membrane for highly efficient molecular separation

  Luo, X., Wang, Y., Guo, Y., Gao, Q., Zhao, R., Liu, Y., Liu, R., Jiang, L., Mai, Z., Matsuyama, H., Jin, P.

  2023, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 198

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Highly permeable polyamide nanofiltration membranes with crumpled structures regulated by polydopamine-piperazine-halloysite interlayer

  Hu, M., Li, X., Tao, R., Mai, Z., Chen, X., Gui, S., Matsuyama, H., Li, J.

  2023, Desalination, 565

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fine-tuning polyamide nanofiltration membrane for ultrahigh separation selectivity of Mg²⁺ and Li⁺

  Xu, P., Guan, K., Chiao, Y.-H., Mai, Z., Li, Z., Hu, M., Zhang, P., Gonzales, R.R., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 688

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Complexation of cellulose nanocrystals and amine monomer for improved interfacial polymerization of nanofiltration membrane

  Fang, S., Guan, K., Mai, Z., Zhou, S., Song, Q., Li, Z., Xu, P., Hu, M., Chiao, Y.-H., Zhang, P., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 687

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fabrication of Dense Polyester Nanofiltration Membranes with Superior Fouling and Chlorine Resistance: Effect of Polyol Monomer Properties and Underlying Mechanisms

  Fan, K., Mai, Z., Liu, Y., Wang, X., Huang, Y., Cheng, P., Xia, S., Matsuyama, H.

  Lead, 2023, ACS ES and T Engineering, 3(11) (11), 1738 - 1747

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fabrication of highly positively charged nanofiltration membranes by novel interfacial polymerization: Accelerating Mg²⁺ removal and Li⁺ enrichment

  Xu, P., Gonzales, R.R., Hong, J., Guan, K., Chiao, Y.-H., Mai, Z., Li, Z., Rajabzadeh, S., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 668

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Highly permeable nanofilms with asymmetric multilayered structure engineered via amine-decorated interlayered interfacial polymerization

  Song, Q., Lin, Y., Zhou, S., Istirokhatun, T., Wang, Z., Shen, Q., Mai, Z., Guan, K., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 670

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Polyamide composite membrane with 3D honeycomb-like structure via acetone-regulated interfacial polymerization for high-efficiency organic solvent nanofiltration

  Fu, W., Deng, L., Hu, M., Mai, Z., Xu, G., Shi, Y., Guan, K., Gonzales, R.R., Matsuoka, A., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 679, English

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• When self-assembly meets interfacial polymerization

  Shen, Q., Song, Q., Mai, Z., Lee, K.-R., Yoshioka, T., Guan, K., Gonzales, R.R., Matsuyama, H.

  Corresponding, 2023, Science Advances, 9(18) (18)

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

  Link to Kobe Univ. Repository (Kernel)


• Incorporating tertiary amine and thioether in polyarylene sulfide sulfone membranes for multiple separations

  Yuan, S., Mai, Z., Yang, Z., Jin, P., Zhang, G., Zhu, J., Matsuyama, H., Van der Bruggen, B.

  Lead, 2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 675

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Deciphering the role of polyketone substrates in tuning the structure and properties of polyamide nanofiltration membranes

  Xu, P., Guan, K., Hong, J., Chiao, Y.-H., Mai, Z., Li, Z., Hu, M., Zhang, P., Xu, G., Gonzales, R.R., Matsuyama, H.

  2023, Journal of Membrane Science, 678

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Enhanced organic solvent nanofiltration of aligned Kevlar composite membrane by incorporated with amino-polystyrene nanospheres

  Yanqing Xu, Guibing Peng, Wenfei Li, Yuying Zhu, Zhaohuan Mai, Natalie Mamrol, Junbin Liao, Jiangnan Shen, Yan Zhao

  Apr. 2022, Journal of Membrane Science, 647

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Self-assembled embedding of ion exchange materials into nanofiber-based hydrogel framework for fluoride capture

  Yan Zhao, Wenjing Lu, Natalie Mamrol, Tim Croes, Zhaohuan Mai, Sofie Houtmeyers, Raf Dewil, Yang Zhang, Xing Yang, Bart Van der Bruggen

  Mar. 2022, Chemical Engineering Journal, 431

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Covalent Organic Framework-Mediated Thin-Film Composite Polyamide Membranes toward Precise Ion Sieving

  Shuangqiao Han, Zhaohuan Mai, Zheng Wang, Xiang Zhang, Junyong Zhu, Jiangnan Shen, Jingtao Wang, Yong Wang, Yatao Zhang

  Lead, American Chemical Society ({ACS}), Jan. 2022, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 14(2) (2), 3427 - 3436

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Effect of Extractant P507 on Desalination of Rare Earth Smelting Wastewater by Reverse Osmosis,萃取剂P507对反渗透处理稀土冶炼废水脱盐性能的影响

  Gui, S.-L., Mai, Z.-H., Yan, B., Yi, Q.-Z., Fu, J.-Q., Wu, J.-J.

  2022, Chinese Rare Earths, 43(2) (2), 82 - 90

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• In situ formation of porous organic polymer-based thin polyester membranes for loose nanofiltration

  Li, R., Mai, Z., Peng, D., Xu, S., Wang, J., Zhu, J., Zhang, Y.

  Lead, 2022, Journal of Membrane Science, 644

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Effect of pressure and temperature on solvent transport across nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes: An activity-derived transport model

  Mickols, W., Mai, Z., van der Bruggen, B.

  2021, Desalination, 501

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Performance of Reverse Osmosis for the Treatment of High Ammonia Nitrogen Wastewater from Rare Earth Smelteries and Analysis of Membrane Fouling Characterization,反渗透处理稀土冶炼高氨氮废水及膜污染特征分析

  Gui, S.-L., Mai, Z.-H., Fu, J.-Q., Fu, Y.-X., Wan, J.-B.

  2021, Chinese Rare Earths, 42(2) (2), 16 - 24

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Nanofiber Based Organic Solvent Anion Exchange Membranes for Selective Separation of Monovalent anions

  Zhao, Y., Mai, Z., Shen, P., Ortega, E., Shen, J., Gao, C., Van Der Bruggen, B.

  Lead, 2020, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 12(6) (6), 7539 - 7547

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Transport models of ammonium nitrogen in wastewater from rare earth smelteries by reverse osmosis membranes

  Gui, S., Mai, Z., Fu, J., Wei, Y., Wan, J.

  Corresponding, 2020, Sustainability (Switzerland), 12(15) (15)

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Hydrogel assisted interfacial polymerization for advanced nanofiltration membranes

  Yuan, S., Zhang, G., Zhu, J., Mamrol, N., Liu, S., Mai, Z., Van Puyvelde, P., Van Der Bruggen, B.

  Corresponding, 2020, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 8(6) (6), 3238 - 3245

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Activity Model of Membrane Transport for Volatile Solutes and Water: Concentration and Pressure Dependent Transport of Trace and High Concentrations

  Zhaohuan Mai

  2019, Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society

  Scientific journal


• Symmetrically recombined nanofibers in a high-selectivity membrane for cation separation in high temperature and organic solvent

  Zhao, Y., Qiu, Y., Mai, Z., Ortega, E., Shen, J., Gao, C., Van Der Bruggen, B.

  Royal Society of Chemistry ({RSC}), 2019, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 7(34) (34), 20006 - 20012

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Activity-derived model for water and salt transport in reverse osmosis membranes: A combination of film theory and electrolyte theory

  Mai, Z., Gui, S., Fu, J., Jiang, C., Ortega, E., Zhao, Y., Tu, W., Mickols, W., Van der Bruggen, B.

  Lead, 2019, Desalination, 469

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Investigating the effect of inhomogeneous fixed charge distribution on dielectric exclusion in nanofiltration membranes

  Zhu, Y., Zhu, H., Li, A., Li, G., Mai, Z., Gu, Y.

  2019, Desalination and Water Treatment, 166, 1 - 8

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• The effect of dielectric exclusion on the rejection performance of inhomogeneously charged polyamide nanofiltration membranes

  Zhu, Y., Zhu, H., Li, G., Mai, Z., Gu, Y.

  2019, Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 21(10) (10)

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Fabrication of composite polyamide/Kevlar aramid nanofiber nanofiltration membranes with high permselectivity in water desalination

  Li, Y., Wong, E., Mai, Z., Van der Bruggen, B.

  2019, Journal of Membrane Science, 592

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Toxicokinetics and toxic effects of a Chinese PFOS alternative F-53B in adult zebrafish

  Wu, Y., Deng, M., Jin, Y., Liu, X., Mai, Z., You, H., Mu, X., He, X., Alharthi, R., Kostyniuk, D.J., Yang, C., Tu, W.

  2019, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 171, 460 - 466

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Highly active Pt decorated Pd/C nanocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

  Liao, M., Li, W., Xi, X., Luo, C., Fu, Y., Gui, S., Mai, Z., Yan, H., Jiang, C.

  2017, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 42(38) (38), 24090 - 24098

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Highly active Au_core@Pt_clustercatalyst for formic acid electrooxidation

  Liao, M., Li, W., Xi, X., Luo, C., Gui, S., Jiang, C., Mai, Z., Chen, B.H.

  2017, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, 791, 124 - 130

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Influence of bulk concentration on the organisation of molecules at a membrane surface and flux decline during reverse osmosis of an anionic surfactant

  Mai, Z., Butin, V., Rakib, M., Zhu, H., Rabiller-Baudry, M., Couallier, E.

  Lead, 2016, Journal of Membrane Science, 499, 257 - 268

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Parameterization of a mesoscopic model for the self-assembly of linear sodium alkyl sulfates

  Mai, Z., Couallier, E., Rakib, M., Rousseau, B.

  Lead, 2014, Journal of Chemical Physics, 140(20) (20)

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Removal of fluorinated surfactants by reverse osmosis - Role of surfactants in membrane fouling

  Baudequin, C., Mai, Z., Rakib, M., Deguerry, I., Severac, R., Pabon, M., Couallier, E.

  2014, Journal of Membrane Science, 458, 111 - 119

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal


• Membrane Processes for Water and Wastewater Treatment : Study and Modeling of Interactions Between Membrane and Organic Matter

  Zhaohuan Mai

  Oct. 2013

  Doctoral thesis


• A Multifactorial Study on Photodegradation of Sulfamethoxazole in Water Induced by Fe (III)-oxalate Complexes

  Zhaohuan Mai

  2013, Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment

  Scientific journal


• Mechanisms of Ro Membrane Fouling by Surfactants: Acombination of Experiments and Simulation Studies

  Z. Mai, E. Couallier, H. Zhu, B. Rousseau, M. Rakib

  Lead, 2012, Procedia Engineering, 44, 1751 - 1752

  [Refereed]

  International conference proceedings


• Fouling of Reverse Osmosis Membranes by Hydrocarbonated and Fluorinated Surfactants Contained in Firefighting Water

  C. Baudequin, E. Couallier, Z. Mai, M. Rakib, I. Deguerry, R. Severac

  2012, Procedia Engineering, 44, 1753 - 1755

  [Refereed]

  International conference proceedings


• Photodegradation of sulfamethoxazole in water: Kinetics and influences factors

  Mai, Z., Wu, F., Deng, N., Vu, T.A.

  Lead, 2010, Research Journal of Chemistry and Environment, 14(1) (1), 5 - 10

  [Refereed]

  Scientific journal

• Unravelling Membrane Fouling Mechanisms in Reverse Osmosis of Rare Earth Wastewater: A Multiscale Perspective

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 15th conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS15), Aug. 2025, English

  Oral presentation


• Unraveling Membrane Fouling Mechanisms in Reverse Osmosis of Rare Earth Wastewater: A Multiscale Perspective

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 47th Annual Meeting of the Membrane Society of Japan, Jun. 2025

  Oral presentation


• Polyamide Nanofilms with Fine-Tuning Crumpled Structures for Ion Separation

  Yongxuan Shi, Hideto Matsuyama, Zhaohuan Mai

  The 14th Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS), Jul. 2024, English

  Poster presentation


• Molecular Insights into Liquid-Liquid Interface During Interfacial Polymerization of Polyamide Membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 14th Aseanian Membrane Society, Jul. 2024, English

  Oral presentation


• Molecular Insights into Liquid-Liquid Interface During Interfacial Polymerization of Polyamide Membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 46th Annual Meeting of the Membrane Society of Japan, Jun. 2024, English

  Oral presentation


• Preparation of crumpled polyamide membranes with high aspect ratio via interlayer-assisted interfacial polymerization

  Yongxuan Shi, Hideto Matsuyama, Zhaohuan Mai

  The Society of Chemical Engineers Japan 89th Annual Meeting, Mar. 2024, English

  Poster presentation


• Molecular dynamics simulations on nanoscale heterogeneity of polyamide membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 45th Annual Meeting of the Membrane Society of Japan & Membrane Symposium 2023, Nov. 2023, English

  Oral presentation


• Reversibly tunable pore sizes of polymeric membranes for multiple separations

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 54th Autumn Meeting of the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan, Sep. 2023, English

  Oral presentation


• Nanomorphogenesis of Polyamide Membranes with Confined Activator-Inhibitor Diffusivity Difference

  Yongxuan Shi, Hideto Matsuyama, Zhaohuan Mai

  The 54th Autumn Meeting of the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan, Sep. 2023, English

  Oral presentation


• Molecular insights into the pattern formation of interfacial polymerized desalination polyamide membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 13th International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes, Jul. 2023, English

  Oral presentation


• Development of nanofiltration membrane with crumpled polyamide nanofilm toward enhanced desalination performance

  Yongxuan Shi, Hideto Matsuyama, Zhaohuan Mai

  The 13th International Congress on Membranes and Membrane Processes, Jul. 2023, English

  Poster presentation


• High-performance crumpled polyamide membrane for antibiotic desalination via nanofiltration

  Yongxuan Shi, Hideto Matsuyama, Zhaohuan Mai

  The Society of Chemical Engineers Japan 88th Annual Meeting, Mar. 2023, English

  Poster presentation


• Molecular insights into the origin of membrane roughness in interfacial polymerization

  Zhaohuan Mai, Hideto Mastuyama

  The Society of Chemical Engineers Japan 88th Annual Meeting, Mar. 2023, English

  Oral presentation


• Micelle-Induced Reverse Osmosis membranes for ultrahigh performance desalination

  Zhaohuan Mai, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The Membrane Society of Japan & Membrane Symposium, Nov. 2022, English

  Oral presentation


• Self-assembly induced interfacial polymerization toward ultra-permeable desalination membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Qin Shen, Tomohisa Yoshioka, Hideto Mastuyama

  The 53rd Autumn Meeting of the Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan, Sep. 2022, English

  Oral presentation


• Fouling of RO membranes by surfactants

  Zhaohuan Mai, Vincent Butin, Mohammed Rakib, Haochen Zhu, Murielle Rabiller-Baudry, Estelle Couallier

  Proceedings of 2015 Engineering with Membranes (Beijing, China), May 2015, English

  Oral presentation


• Fouling of reverse osmosis membranes by hydrocarbonated and fluorinated surfactants contained in firefighting water

  Clement Baudequin, Estelle Couallier, Zhaohuan Mai, Mohammed Rakib, Isabelle Deguerry, Romain Severac

  Euromembrane 2012 Conference, Sep. 2012, English

  Poster presentation


• Mechanisms of RO Membrane Fouling by Surfactants: A Combination of Experiments and Simulation Studies

  Zhaohuan Mai, Estelle Couallier, Haochen Zhu, Bernard Rousseau, Mohammed Rakib

  Euromembrane 2012 Conference, Sep. 2012, English

  Poster presentation

• European Membrane Society

  2012 - 2013


• THE MEMBRANE SOCIETY OF JAPAN


• The Society of Chemical Engineers, Japan

• Development of multiscale simulations on interfacial polymerization of polyamide desalination membranes

  Zhaohuan Mai, Hideto Matsuyama, Kecheng Guan

  The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Kakenhi, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research(C), Kobe University, Feb. 2025 - Mar. 2028, Principal investigator


• Multiscale simulation on EfOM-RO membrane interactions and the mechanism of membrane fouling

  Zhaohuan Mai

  Science and Technology Department of Jiangxi, China, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2019 - Dec. 2020, Principal investigator


• The Structure and catalytic mechanism of high performance Pd-Fe-based catalysts on fuel cells

  Mengyin Liao, Zhaohuan Mai

  National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2017 - Dec. 2020, Coinvestigator


• Fouling mechanisms of integrated membrane process for ammonia nitrogen removal from rare earth industry

  Zhaohuan Mai

  National Natural Science Foundation of China, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2016 - Dec. 2019, Principal investigator


• Scholarship as a visiting scholar in KU Leuven

  Zhaohuan Mai

  Jiangxi Association for Science and Technology, Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2019, Principal investigator


• Fouling mechanism and mass transport of solutes with nanofiltration/reverse osmosis membranes for industrial applications

  Zhaohuan Mai

  Ministry of Science and Technology of the PR. China, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Oct. 2018 - Oct. 2019, Principal investigator


• Application of integrated membrane technology in rare earth industry

  Zhaohuan Mai

  Foundation of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of the People’s Republic of China, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Jan. 2016 - Dec. 2016, Principal investigator

• Dissipative particle dynamics method for simulating reverse osmosis membrane fouling

  Shuanglin Gui, Zhaohuan Mai, Jihai Xiong, Jiaqi Fu, Miaohui Zhang, Jiujiu Wu, Song Xia, Xin Wang, Yinxuan Fu

  特許2019108585707, 07 Apr. 2023

  Patent right


• Simulation method for analyzing diffusion property of water-soluble monomer in hydrogel membrane

  Zhaohuan Mai, Shuanglin Gui, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Bing Yan, Cheng Jiang, Qizhen Yi

  特許ZL201910859102.1, 05 Jul. 2022

  Patent right


• Dissipative particle dynamics method for simulating interfacial polymerization process of composite membrane

  Zhaohuan Mai, Shuanglin Gui, Shushan Yuan, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Song Xia, Miaohui Zhang

  特許ZL201910858591.9, 15 Feb. 2022

  Patent right


• Dissipative particle dynamics method for simulating interfacial polymerization process of hydrogel membrane

  Zhaohuan Mai, Cheng Jiang, Shushan Yuan, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Shuanglin Gui, Miaohui Zhang

  特許US 2021/0074386 A1, 11 Mar. 2021

  Patent right


• Simulation method for analyzing diffusion property of water-soluble monomer in hydrogel membrane

  Zhaohuan Mai, Jihai Xiong, Cheng Jiang, Jiujiu Wu, Shuanglin Gui, BingYan, Qizhen Yi

  特許US 2021/0074387 A1, 11 Mar. 2021

  Patent right


• Siphon type composite vertical subsurface flow constructed wetland

  Cheng Jiang, Jiaqi Fu, Zhaohuan Mai, Jiujiu Wu

  特許US10889516 B2, 12 Jan. 2021, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, 特許US10889516 B2

  Patent right


• A forcefield of dissipative particle dynamics

  特許ZL201910859103.6, 08 May 2020

  Patent right


• Dissipative particle dynamics method for simulating interfacial polymerization process of hydrogel membrane

  Zhaohuan Mai, Shuanglin Gui, Shushan Yuan, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Cheng Jiang, Miaohui Zhang

  特許ZL201910859079.6, 21 Apr. 2020

  Patent right


• Device for treating rare earth smelting high-ammonia nitrogen wastewater by using integrated membrane technology

  Zhaohuan Mai, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Cheng Jiang, Shuanglin Gui, Zhiqiang Zhu

  特許CN208762281U, 19 Apr. 2019

  Utility model right


• Method and device for treating rare earth smelting high-ammonia nitrogen wastewater by using integrated membrane technology

  Zhaohuan Mai, Jihai Xiong, Jiujiu Wu, Cheng Jiang, Shuanglin Gui, Zhiqiang Zhu

  特願CN201810156268.2, 24 Feb. 2018, CN201810156268.2, 24 Feb. 2018

  Patent right