NEWs

At our lab, we are continuously searching for cleaner, more sustainable ways to protect our global water resources. Today, we are proud to share our latest breakthrough published in Materials Today: a hybrid "supercleansing" surface that utilizes only light to break down some of the most stubborn pollutants in existence, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)—the notorious “forever chemicals.” The Innovation: Harnessing the Power of COFs and hBN Led by Dr. Qilin Li and Dr. Jun Lou, our research team has successfully integrated two advanced materials: Covalent Organic Frameworks (COFs) and hexagonal Boron Nitride (hBN)....

We are thrilled to announce that Maximilian Cobos successfully defended his doctoral dissertation this December, officially earning his PhD. During his time with our research group, Maximilian has been an invaluable member, contributing significantly to our collective work through his dedication and academic rigor. His successful defense marks the culmination of years of hard work and innovative research. We are incredibly proud of his accomplishments and wish him the very best as he embarks on the next chapter of his professional career. Congratulations, Dr. Cobos!...

From L to R: Prof. Qilin Li, Yuren Feng, and Kuichang Zuo...

Our research team is proud to share a major breakthrough in sustainable energy materials. In a study recently published in Nature Communications, we have developed a novel nanocomposite membrane that selectively filters lithium from brines with unprecedented efficiency, offering a faster and cleaner path for the production of rechargeable batteries. The Challenge: Moving Beyond Evaporation Ponds Traditional lithium extraction relies on massive evaporation ponds that can take over a year to process, consume vast amounts of water, and generate significant chemical waste. "The current large-scale methods have fairly low recovery rates and are often situated in water-scarce regions," says Dr. Qilin Li, the Karl F. Hasselman Professor and co-author of the study....

At our lab, we believe that the traditional, centralized water infrastructure is no longer the only—or even the best—answer to the world’s growing water crisis. We are proud to announce that our Principal Investigator, Dr. Qilin Li, is leading a transformative initiative to decentralize wastewater management, bringing sustainable sanitation directly to the household level.

We are proud to share that our principal investigator, Dr. Qilin Li, has been named a Karl F. Hasselmann Professor in Engineering. This prestigious endowed chair appointment recognizes Dr. Li’s sustained excellence in research, teaching, and her significant leadership within the engineering community....

We are incredibly proud to celebrate a major milestone for our lab and the Rice University engineering community. On April 22, during the George R. Brown School of Engineering and Computing’s annual awards ceremony, our very own Dr. Qilin Li was presented with the Outstanding Faculty Research Award. This prestigious honor is reserved for faculty members who have made the most significant contributions to high-impact research and technological innovation over the past five years. Dr. Li was specifically recognized for her visionary leadership in integrating technological breakthroughs with computational system analysis in the field of water treatment....

We are thrilled to announce that our lab’s team, Separion, has won first prize at the Texas Regional 2024 American-Made EnergyTech University Prize (EnergyTech UP) competition. This victory secured our team a spot in the national finals, where we will represent Rice University and the Texas region this April in Austin. Our team—comprising Ph.D. students Maximilian Cobos and Yuren Feng, along with recent alumni Dr. Xiaochuan Huang and Dr. Ze He—presented a comprehensive business plan to commercialize our Lithium Selective ElectroDialysis (LiSED) system. Developed right here in Professor Qilin Li’s research group, the LiSED technology offers a sustainable and affordable solution for harvesting lithium from untapped sources, such as geothermal brine and oil- and gas-produced water....

Reclaimed wastewater could make supply systems more resilient (Lauren Stadler (from left), Qilin Li and Leonardo Dueñas-Osorio (Credit: Rice University)) According to a study published in Nature Water, Dr.Qilin Li, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University and co-director of the NEWT Center, advocates for the development of hybrid urban water supply systems to bolster city resilience. By integrating reclaimed wastewater with traditional centralized sources, Li’s research demonstrates that cities like Houston can significantly reduce energy consumption and decrease reliance on stressed freshwater resources. Li highlights that these decentralized systems are more robust against disruptive events such as hurricanes and flooding, showing lower impact severity and faster recovery times compared to aging conventional infrastructure. Her work provides a strategic roadmap for enhancing the sustainability and reliability of large-scale municipal water systems in the face of climate change and urbanization....

 Dr. Qilin Li was interviewed by Lisa Friedersdorf, Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office in October 2019. During this interview, Dr. Li "highlights the impact NEWT has had at Rice, how nanotechnology can help improve access to clean water around the world, and the importance of addressing the issue of an aging water infrastructure."...

Congratulations to ChBE graduate student Ze He, who received a cash prize as the runner up for the 2021 Archuleta Desalter Scholarship Award from the Texas Desalination Association! pic.twitter.com/7avS4nxhFC

Congratulations to the Ph.D. student Yuren Feng..., for receiving the CAPEES best poster Awards!



Application of electrothermal surface heating material has further broaden application of MD systems, as it allows easier control and higher intensity of energy input. However, existing surface heating materials face major challenges in MD: low electrochemical stability and unable for high energy input. In our group, we developed a novel electrothermal surface heating element by in situ growth of nano-thin protective coating, which provides high thermal conductivity, high electric insulation, and anti-corrosion properties, all critical for application in saline solutions.