- 1110 Bevill
- Phone (205) 348-8836
- Fax (205) 348-7558
- Faculty Website
Dr. Milad Esfahani
Associate 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 research group focuses on the design and development of functionalized membranes and adsorptive membranes, as well as the synthesis of novel adsorbents for water/wastewater treatment and desalination.
The Esfahani Research Group develops strategies to functionalize various polymeric membranes, including thin-film composite nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes, to enhance “selectivity” and “antifouling” properties. The group synthesizes a range of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as new adsorbents and develops MOF-functionalized membranes for the selective removal of emerging contaminants, such as PFAS and micro- and nano-plastics, from water.
Additionally, the group focuses on the development of engineered 2D MXene membranes for the selective harvesting of critical minerals and rare earth elements from waste streams.
Affiliated Areas
Center for Water Quality Research, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Polymers and Soft Materials Research Center
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
NSF-funded Summer Program Grants Research Experience to Local Students and Educators
This summer, Dr. Steven Weinman hosted a six-week summer program for undergraduate and graduate students from Stillman College, Shelton State Community College, The University of Alabama at Birmingham and Lawson...
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.