- 1110 Bevill
- Phone (205) 348-8836
- Fax (205) 348-7558
- Faculty Website
Dr. Milad Esfahani
Assistant Professor
Contact
- 1110 Bevill
- phone (205) 348-8836
- fax (205) 348-7558
- Faculty Website
Research Areas
Education
- Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Tennessee Technological University, 2014
- M.Sc., Chemical Engineering, Science and Research University, 2010
Dr. Milad Esfahani’s group uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop novel functionalized membranes with ultimate goal of water ‐ wastewater treatment and energy production.
Our research field is at the interface of several disciplines including separation science, nanotechnology, materials science and colloid science that links to the water‐energy‐food nexus. In the field of functionalized membranes, we are developing functionalized membranes with enhanced selectivity properties where they can provide higher permeability and less (bio) fouling.
Our research group will develop different strategies to incorporate nanoparticles with specific properties such as photo catalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles, highly adsorptive properties of multiwall carbon nanotube, anti‐bacterial properties of silver nanoparticles, and high absorptive properties of metal organic frameworks to the polymeric structure of the membranes for creation of advanced antifouling membranes. We use both computational and experimental approaches to design engineered membranes for water desalination, water purification and energy production.
Also, in the field of nanomaterials environmental safety, we are studying the transport and fate of nanomaterials in aquatic environment.
Affiliated Areas
Center for Water Quality Research, Chemical and Biological Engineering
Selected Publications
- Hadi Mokarizadehab, Sareh Moayedfard, Mohammad Salehi Maleh, Syed Ibrahim Gnani Peer Mohamed, Siamak Nejatic, Milad Rabbani Esfahani*, “The role of support layer properties on the fabrication and performance of thin-film composite membranes: The significance of selective layer-support layer connectivity”, Separation and Purification Technology, 278 (2022), 119451, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2021.119451)
- Tin Le, Xi Chen, Hang Dong, William Tarpeh, Adelaida Perea-Cachero, Joaquín Coronas, Stephen M Martin, Munirah Mohammad, Amir Razmjou, Amirsalar R Esfahani, Negin Koutahzadeh, Peifu Cheng, Piran R Kidambi, Milad Rabbani Esfahani*, “An Evolving Insight into Metal Organic Framework-Functionalized Membranes for Water and Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery”, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 3 (2021) 60, 19, 6869–6907, (https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.1c00543)
- Zane Joseph Parkerson, Tin Le, Parnab Das, S. Nima Mahmoodi, Milad Rabbani Esfahani *, “Cu-MOF-Polydopamine-Incorporated Functionalized Nanofiltration Membranes for Water Treatment: Effect of Surficial Adhesive Modification Techniques”, ACS ES&T Water, 1,2 (2020) 430–439, (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.0c00173)
- Mehdi Pejman, Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei, Sadegh Aghapour Aktij, Parnab Das, Ehsan Zolghadr, Hesam Jafarian, Ahmad Arabi Shamsabadi, Mark Elliott, Milad Rabbani Esfahani *, Marco Sangermano, Mohtada Sadrzadeh, Evan K. Wujcik, Ahmad Rahimpour, Alberto Tiraferri, “Improved antifouling and antibacterial properties of forward osmosis membranes through surface modification with zwitterions and silver-based metal organic frameworks”, Journal of Membrane Science, 611 (2020) 118352-113835, (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118352)
- Milad Rabbani Esfahani*, Autumn Taylor, Nicole Serwinowski, Zane Joseph Parkerson, Matthew P. Confer, Irshad Kammakakam, Jason E. Bara, Amirsalar R. Esfahani, S. Nima Mahmoodi, Negin Koutahzadeh, and Michael Z. Hu, “Sustainable Novel Bamboo-Based Membranes for Water Treatment Fabricated by Regeneration of Bamboo Waste Fibers”, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 8 (2020) 4225 (https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b07438)
- Mostafa Dadashi Firouzjaei, Farhad Akbari Afkhamib, Milad Rabbani Esfahani*, C. Heath Turnera, Siamak Nejatic, “Experimental and molecular dynamics study on dye removal from water by a graphene oxide-copper-metal organic framework nanocomposite”, Journal of Water Process Engineering, 34 (2020) 101180 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwpe.2020.101180)
Awards and Honors
- Outstanding Professor Award, Chemical Engineering Department, 2016
- Doctoral of Philosophy the Best Paper Award, College of Engineering, TTU, 2015
- Outstanding Ph.D. Candidate of the Year, Chemical Engineering Department, TTU, 2014
Dr. Esfahani's Impact
University professor works to remove potentially carcinogenic ‘forever chemicals’ from water
Milad Esfahani, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at The University of Alabama, has been leading research into ways to remove potentially carcinogenic “forever chemicals” from drinking water that...
Alabama Water Institute Names First Faculty Fellowship Recipients
The Alabama Water Institute selected three UA faculty members as the inaugural fellows in the AWI Faculty Fellowship Program.
Grants Awarded to Student Teams in Alabama for Innovative Technology Projects
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded approximately $50,000 to the University of Alabama and $25,000 to the University of Alabama in Huntsville as part of a total of $792,036...