Ruilin Yin

TomKat Graduate Fellow for Translational Research

Research Lab: Yan Xia

Year Awarded: 2025

Ruilin Yin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Chemistry department advised by Prof. Yan Xia. His research focuses on developing new chemistry and creating novel microporous ladder polymer materials for a range of energy efficient chemical separation processes. Growing up in Beijing, China, Ruilin always had an interest in sustainable and green science. He received his B.S. in chemistry with minors in material science engineering and statistics from UC Berkeley, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Ting Xu. Outside of the lab, he is very interested in chemical education and mentorship, serving as the assistant head TA trainer for the incoming chemistry graduate student cohort, and mentored college seniors in their grad school application process through Graduate Application Mentorship Program (GradAMP) for the past two years.

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Development of Scalable, High-Performance Polymer Thin Film Membranes to Advance Energy-Efficient Chemical Separations

Chemical separations are responsible for nearly half of industrial energy consumption in the U.S., consuming about 4,500 trillion Btu each year. Particularly for gas separations - such as air separation, hydrogen purification, natural gas sweetening, and carbon capture - current methods are highly energy-intensive, often relying on thermal distillation or corrosive chemical sorbents. These conventional processes not only drive high carbon emissions but also disproportionately impact frontline communities, as their infrastructure is frequently located in economically and environmentally vulnerable areas. In contrast, polymer membranes offer a far more sustainable approach. These materials can reduce energy use by up to an order of magnitude compared to current approaches, and their growing adoption has already led to a billion-dollar annual market. However, most commercial membranes still face major limitations. Their low permeability and moderate selectivity require large surface areas, which constrain energy savings and limit scalability.

Our research group has developed a platform of next-generation membranes based on ladder polymers with intrinsic microporosity, offering a transformative leap in performance. These membranes uniquely combine record-high permeability and selectivity with excellent long-term stability across a wide range of gas separations. A standout feature of our catalytic arene-norbornene annulation (CANAL) ladder polymers is their ability to surpass the empirical “upper bound” that historically defines the trade-off between permeability and selectivity. This project aims to directly addresses the TomKat Center’s mission by developing scalable and energy-efficient chemistry that reduce emissions and support equitable access to clean resources. Continued innovation in these materials and the eventual partnering with scale-up manufacturers promises to significantly lower the environmental impact for more efficient chemical separations, helping to enable a more sustainable and equitable low-carbon future.