报告题目：Molecular Trapdoor Mechanism for Adsorptive Gas Separation
报告人：JIN SHANG（香港城市大学副教授）
邀请人：韩宇教授
报告时间：2025年06月24日（星期二）15：00
报告地址：广州国际校区C3-c204会议室
报告摘要:
Chemical separations account for 10–15% of global energy consumption. Adsorption-based separation offers a more energy-efficient alternative to conventional distillation by eliminating phase transitions and operating under milder conditions. Among adsorption mechanisms, molecular sieving is celebrated for its precision—selectively admitting molecules based on size exclusion. However, conventional sieving fails when the size difference between gas molecules is minimal.
To overcome this limitation, we discovered the molecular trapdoor mechanism —a paradigm shift that enables non-size-based molecular sieving. Instead of relying solely on molecular dimensions, this mechanism exploits differential interactions between gas molecules and pore-keeping groups within the adsorbent. Gases with stronger interactions open the “trapdoor” and are adsorbed, while weaker-interacting species are excluded. This interaction-governed selectivity enables separations previously inaccessible to traditional sieving.
In this talk, I will first share the discovery path of the molecular trapdoor mechanism and the design of various trapdoor adsorbents for different applications. I will then highlight our recent advances in applying thismechanism to achieve counterintuitive separations—specifically, sieving-level selectivity in both same-size and size-inverse scenarios. One example is the development of an LTA-type zeolite with tunable door-keeping cations, which exhibits size-inverse molecular sieving and exceptional Xe selectivity. By adjusting the cationic sites, we achieved invertible sieving-level separation of Xe and Kr—enabling exclusive adsorption of either component, a breakthrough with significant scientific implications. Additionally, we developed flexible zeolite-based trapdoor adsorbents that enable same-size sieving of CO₂ over C₂H₂, utilizing a novel approach that regulates trapdoor dynamics based on adsorption configuration differences.
These results illustrate the transformative potential of molecular trapdoor zeolites for advancing gas separation technologies, offering innovative pathways to address persistent challenges in chemical separations.
报告人简介：
Jin Shang is a tenured Associate Professor at the City University of Hong Kong, specializing in adsorption-based gas separation technology, finding applications in carbon capture, carbon removal, the extraction of toxic gases etc. Prof. Shang discovered the molecular trapdoor mechanism, the fourth recognized method for adsorption-based separation showing the highest CO2 selectivity in natural gas purification. He has received the 2024 Carbon Capture Award for Excellent Research and the 2022 ISTP-Bogen Young Scientist Award. With over 130 papers published and an h-index of 52, Prof. Shang is among Stanford's top 2% most highly cited scientists in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
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2025年06月18日