Mingxuan Guo - PhD student (7/2025 -)
Mingxuan Guo will join Imperial College London as a PhD student in July 2025, under the supervision of Dr. Qilei Song and Professor Kang Li. His research will focus on the development of advanced polymer membranes for molecular separation applications.
Mingxuan holds dual BSc degrees in Applied Chemistry from Dalian University of Technology and Chemistry (First-Class Honours) from the University of Leicester. He completed his MSc in Advanced Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London in 2022. During his academic journey, he undertook research internships at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, focusing on polyimide films, and gained industrial experience through internships at PetroChina LNG terminals and Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group.
Before starting his PhD, Mingxuan worked at China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corporation, where he was responsible for international procurement of LNG gasification equipment in Tianjin. Inspired by his research and industry experiences, he has chosen to pursue a PhD to contribute to the advancement of sustainable separation technologies.
Brief Introduction to Research
Traditional separation processes in industry often rely on energy-intensive thermal methods, which contribute significantly to global CO₂ emissions. As a more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly alternative, membrane separation processes avoid phase changes and offer advantages such as lower energy consumption, simpler operation, smaller equipment footprint, and reduced capital investment. Membrane technologies are already widely used in areas like water purification, gas separation, and chemical processing. For example, membrane separation can help remove CO₂ from natural gas during extraction, contributing to decarbonisation efforts. However, most commercial polymer membranes face a trade-off between selectivity and permeability—while they can effectively separate certain molecules, they often have relatively low throughput.
Polymers with intrinsic microporosity (PIMs) are promising candidates for next-generation separation membranes due to their high surface area and free volume, which enable higher permeability. Yet, many of these materials still struggle with achieving high selectivity. Introducing specific functional groups into the polymer structure is a promising strategy to overcome this challenge. Mingxuan’s PhD research focuses on developing high-performance microporous polymer membranes from PIM polymers for advanced molecular separation. His work involves designing and synthesising polymer membranes with tailored backbones and functional groups to enhance selective transport by amplifying differences in molecular permeation rates. A particular emphasis is placed on understanding how membrane structure and membrane manufacturing techniques determine separation performance. This research aims to advance membrane separation technologies, supporting cleaner, more sustainable industrial processes that contribute to global efforts in sustainability and carbon reduction.