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Polymer and Separations Research Laboratory (PolySep)

Welcome to the Polymer and Separations (PolySep) Research Laboratory at UCLA. At PolySep we focus on the fundamentals of surface chemical engineering. Our mission is to develop experimental and theoretical approaches to exploit the unique properties of nanostructured macromolecular surfaces in a variety of applications such as membrane (e.g., ultrafiltration, pervaporation and desalination) and adsorption separation processes, surface wettability, adhesion, nano- and micro-devices for biomedical applications and chemical sensors. Our laboratory is also engaged in research on neural networks and their application to pattern recognition, physicochemical property estimations, quantitative structure activity relations (QSPRs) in environmental applications and process analysis.

This web site describes the general scope of our research activities and information on new developments in structuring of surfaces by silylation and graft polymerization, solute-surface interactions at nano-structured polymeric interfaces, chemical and surface crystallization sensors, nano-structured ceramic-supported polymer (CSP) membranes, wettability and hydrodynamics of molecular polymer brush layers, smart polymeric materials, sorption and size exclusion chromatography resins, membrane separation processes (ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and pervaporation) and neural networks based research on molecular based QSPRs.

Polysep is continuing the tradition of fundamental and applied research in membrane separations at UCLA - the birthplace of the first viable cellulose reverse osmosis (RO) membrane. Click here for information on the early RO membrane development work at UCLA.

PolySep is a participant in the Water Technology Research (WaTeR) Center which is directed by Prof. Y. Cohen. The WaTeR Center conducts research on water technology (desalination and reclamation) with a current focus on water desalination.

Note: Professor Cohen (the Director of PolySep) is also engaged in environmental research and details regarding some of these activities are available in the section on Environmental Analysis at the web site and also on the web site of the Center for Environmental Risk Reduction Research (CERR). Dr. Cohen's environmental research group is also participating in the European Multi-Country Project on Novel Methods for Integrated Risk Assessment of Cumulative Stressors. His group is collaborating with the Transport Phenomena Research Group at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili.

Additional information on Dr. Cohen's research on water technology is available at the Water Technology Research Center

Contact Information:
Dr. Yoram Cohen
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department
5531 Boelter Hall
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1592
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Research Openings for Graduate Students

Mike Uchymiak has been awarded the 2007-2008 "Channabasappa Memorial Scholarship from the International Desalination Association in support of his research on real-time mineral scale monitoring and feed-flow reversal operation of membrane desalination.

Hsiao-yu (Nancy) Lin was awarded the NWRI-Southern California Salinity Coalition Fellowship for her work on the development of fouling resistant RO membranes.

Eric Lyster was an invited speaker at the First Annual NWRI Graduate Fellowship Research Conference, April 12, 2007, at the Doubletree Hotel Anaheim/Orange County in the City of Orange, California. He will present on "Concentration Polarization and Mineral Scaling in Membrane Desalination".

Dr. Cohen was an invited panelist at the "Danger on the Delta" conference, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA, March 13, 2007.

Dr. Cohen was a plenary speaker at the 233rd ACS National Spring Meeting in Chicago at the Division of Sustainability of Energy, Food, and Water Session on "Advanced Membrane Technology for Water Reuse". He will speak on ""High recovery membrane RO desalination of brackish water: Opportunities and limitations" (March 27, 2007).

Professor Cohen chaired and co-organized of the AIChE Topical Conference on "Water Resource Management: Production, Recycling, Purification and Conservation," November 12-17, 2006 San Francisco Hilton San Francisco, California. The conference is co-sponsored by the National Water Research Institute (NWRI) & the UCLA WaTeR Technology Research Center.

Michal Uchymiak and Eric Lyster received a First Place Student Poster Award for the work on "Ex-Situ Scale Observation Detector (EXSOD) for Early Detection of Mineral Scale Formation and Surface Crystallization Kinetics on RO Membranes" which was presented at the CA-NV AWWA Annual Fall Conference, October 2-5, 2006, Lon Beach, CA.

Professor Cohen presented an invited paper on “Membrane Surface Nano-Structuring: Selectivity Enhancement, Fouling Reduction and Mineral Scale Formation,” at the U.S. - Israeli Workshop on Nanotechnology for Water Purification, Arlington, VA, March 13-15, 2006.

Professor Cohen gave an invited presentation on "High Recovery membrane Desalination of Brackish Water; Limitations and Opportunities" at the 2006 Reclamation’s Brine Management Implementation Study Workshop May 3, 2006, organized by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

Professor Cohen gave a keynote lecture on "High Recovery Water Desalination" at the 4th Eastern Mediterranean Chemical Engineering Conference (EMMC4), to be held on January 9-11, 2006 at the Le Meridien Hotel, Dead Sea, Israel.

Eric Lyster was awarded the 2006 National Water Research Institute/Cargill Ph.D. Research Fellowship

Professor Cohen and his student Michal Uchymiak file for a U.S. patent on "Ex-Situ Scale Observation Detector (EXSOD)". The EXSOD system will enable online monitoring of RO plants for scale formation and for optimization of feed pretreatment and membrane cleaning strategies. (January 2006).

Research Openings for Graduate Students

Last update:

07/11/2007

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