The conversion of crude oil to petrochemicals via innovation and technology is one of the major research focuses of KAUST Ph.D. student Mohammed Al-Alouni. Al-Alouni works in both the University's Advanced Membranes & Porous Materials Center and the Catalysis Center under the supervision of KAUST Professor Yu Han.

​Ph.D. student Ainur Yerzhankyzy, working under the guidance of Prof. Ingo Pinnau at the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center, was awarded the 'Best Poster Presentation' at the 12th conference of the Aseanian Membrane Society (AMS 12) held in Jeju, Korea on July 2 – 5, 2019.

Perfect crystals are not necessarily the most useful. Defects in the ordered crystalline structure of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) could tailor these versatile materials for specific applications. KAUST researchers have already developed a pioneering method to image the defects using transmission electron microscopy. They now report that creating specific defects, visualizing them, and investigating their chemical effects takes the exploration of MOFs to new levels of detail and control.

Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Research Center congratulates Zhiping Lai for being promoted to the rank of Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. On the evening of May 8, KAUST celebrated this promotion, amongst others, at a faculty recognition gala dinner.

KAUST researchers have tailored the structure of graphene-oxide layers to mimic the hourglass shape of these biological channels, creating ultrathin membranes to rapidly separate chemical mixtures.

​Zain Ali, the latest student to graduate from the Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, considers science as a path to understand the world and generate solutions to solve pressing problems. Ali joined KAUST as a Ph.D. student to research membrane technology for gas and liquid-based industrial separations.

Mahmoud Abdulhamid, a native of Lebanon, defines himself as a hard worker, analytical and persistent researcher. He completed a Bachelor degree in Chemistry in 2011 and earned two Master Degrees in molecular chemistry and organic chemistry from Lebanese University in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Associate Professor of Chemical Science Niveen M. Khashab will chair the KAUST 2020 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP), the University's annual festival of science and will be co-chaired by KAUST Professor of Electrical Engineering Khaled Nabil Salama.

On April 3, Faheem Hassan Akhtar successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation entitled Water Vapor Separation: Development of Polymeric and Mixed-Matrix Membranes' under the supervision of AMPM Prof. Klaus-Viktor Peinemann and committee members Prof. Ingo Pinnau, Prof. Kim Choon Ng and Dr. Richard Baker.

From astronauts and submariners to miners and rescue workers, people who operate in small enclosed spaces need good air quality to work safely and effectively. Electronic sensors now developed by a KAUST team can simultaneously detect at least three critical parameters that are important to monitor to ensure human comfort and safety.

​AMPM Ph.D. Student, Abdullah Almansouri has been selected to attend the 69th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. This year’s meeting, which is dedicated to physics, will take place from June 30 to July 5 in the Inselhalle Lindau, Germany. Abdullah Almansouri was nominated for his research on harvesting ambient energy for powering wireless

On March 17, Prof. Shengqian Ma from the University of South Florida visited the AMPM Center invited by Prof. Yu Han.

Prof. Ma gave an interesting talk on 'Task-Specific Design and Functionalization of Advanced Porous Organic Polymers for Water Purification'.

Environmentally friendly method for making membranes adds greener options for processing industrial waste. Selectively permeable membranes made from renewable plant-based materials could significantly improve the environmental credentials of the chemical industry. A KAUST team has tested the viability of cellulose membranes to show they can effectively clean wastewater.

Self-assembled channels in a polymer membrane could greatly enhance extraction of water from gases. Removing water vapor from air and other gas mixtures, which is crucial for many industrial processes and air conditioning, could become cheaper and more effective through polymer membrane technology now developed at KAUST.

​On February 15, AMPM center held its annual Family Fun Day. Faculty, staff, students and their families were invited for brunch followed by a live BBQ at the Abdullah Monument park, KAUST.

​The AMPM center is very pleased to announce that Dr. Gyorgy Szekely has joined the center as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering. He will continue his research in the development of innovative methodologies to enhance sustainable separation processes.

Covalent organic crystal networks generate high-selectivity and high-flux membranes for organic solvent filtration. Covalent organic materials with well-ordered porous microstructures could provide the membranes needed for technology to meet increasingly stringent environmental controls and be cost effective to produce.

Scientists from the AMPM Center have been acknowledged with the Research Center Award during the final gala of the KAUST Winter Enrichment Program (WEP) 2019. This prize recognizes their outstanding participation in the Science Fun Fair held on January 21.

Combining a polymer and microparticles enables a new type of capacitor that could mimic the way the brain processes information. A simple fractional-order capacitor has been developed by a team from KAUST. Made from a single component, this device expands the range of frequencies that can be achieved by these devices, making them better at energy storage.

2018 has been a year full of events, exciting projects, and successful collaborations. Thanks to all the AMPM members and our partners for your continued effort and support.