William B. “Bill” Sturgis, ’57 & Martha Elizabeth “Martha Beth” Blackmon Sturgis Annual Distinguished Professor in Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
Professor
Advanced Separation Materials, Bioseparations, Water-Energy Nexus
Associate Editor, Separation Science and Technology
Phone: 864-656-4502
Office: 126 Earle Hall
Email: shusson@clemson.edu
EducationPh.D., University of California at Berkeley, 1998
B.S., Pennsylvania State University, 1993
Advanced Separation Materials, Bioseparations, Water-Energy Nexus
Our research group uses synthetic and polymer chemistry to create advanced separation materials to tackle some of society’s grand challenges: affordable medicine, access to clean water, sustainable energy generation, and prevention of nuclear terror.
Affordable medicine: The development of efficient separation processes for biologics is one of the most pressing challenges facing the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. Production costs for protein therapeutics have shifted from cell culture to downstream processing, bringing economic pressure to develop new separation technologies. Our group plays the lead role in the development of next-generation adsorptive membranes for the recovery and purification of biologics. Our ‘use-inspired basic research program focuses on the development of new classes of membrane materials with advanced functionality for high productivity protein chromatography. The work is transformational because it will help manufacturers face emerging challenges that include the need for more selective chromatography media, improved resolution, and tolerance of feedstock conditions, while simultaneously increasing productivity and lowering the cost of therapeutic products for the U.S. consumer.
Water-Energy: The connections between water and energy present both challenges and opportunities. Water is used in energy production and electricity generation. Energy is required to recover, treat, and deliver water for diverse uses. Thus, water scarcity, variability, and uncertainty make the U.S. energy system vulnerable. To address the challenges, our group is developing new membrane materials for energy-efficient water purification, as well as new materials for sustainable energy production from water systems; these new membrane materials are largely the result of advances in nanotechnology and include organic (polymeric) and inorganic compositions. Focus is given to emerging technologies such as advanced thin-film composite membranes designed for desalination and osmotic processes involving high salinity gradients. The group uses emerging materials to develop robust pressure-retarded osmosis membranes with enhanced performance for harvesting clean and renewable energy from salinity gradient resources. Since performance loss due to fouling is one of the largest costs associated with membrane processes in water treatment, the group also explores new surface treatments that limit membrane fouling, as these will have significant economic and societal impacts.
Prevention of nuclear terror: Our group collaborates with researchers in Clemson’s Department of Environmental Engineering & Earth Sciences to advance scientific understanding in the development of high-selectivity sensor materials and high-sensitivity sensors for ultra-trace-level isotopic analysis of radionuclides in aqueous media. The work is motivated by the quest to combat threats associated with the early detection of nuclear weapons, as contamination of water is likely to result from clandestine nuclear activities associated with the assembly of a nuclear weapon. The materials and methods under development by our group are able to concentrate and detect radionuclides in natural water, making them a powerful nuclear forensics tool.
Kutsevol, N.; Kuziv, Y., Cabrera, T.; Husson, S.M.; DeVol, T.A.; Bliznyuk, V.N. Biodegradable star-like polymer flocculants for rapid, efficient purification of water contaminated with industrial radionuclides. Sep. Purif. Technol. 118630 (2021). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2021.118630
Osuofa, J.; Pfeiler, M.; Henn, D.; Forsyth, A.; Zhou, J.; Husson, S.M. High-capacity multimodal anion-exchange membranes for polishing of therapeutic proteins. Biotechnol. Prog. e3129 (2021). DOI: 10.1002/btpr.3129
Malakian, A.; Zuo, Z.; Messick, L.; Spitzer, T.; Ladner, D.A.; Husson, S.M. Understanding the role of pattern geometry on nanofiltration threshold flux. Membranes 10, 445 (2020). DOI: 10.3390/membranes10120445
Darge, A.; Gera, Y.; DeVol, T.A.; Husson, S.M. Uranium concentration using reactive polymer thin films for spectroscopic analyses. React. Funct. Polym. 157, 104761 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2020.104761
Idarraga-Mora, J.A.; Fulton, M.; O’Neal, A.; Pfeiler, M.; Ladner, D.A.; Husson, S.M. Effect of mechanical strain on the transport properties of thin-film composite membranes used in osmotic processes. J. Membr. Sci. 615 118488 (2020) (Editor’s Choice Article, July 2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118488
Wilson, A.B.; Wang, J.; Jenkins, E.W.; Husson, S.M. Numerical Simulation of Chemical Separations Using Multimodal Adsorption Isotherms. Results in Applied Mathematics 7 100122 (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.rinam.2020.100122
Zhou, Z.; Ling, B.; Battiato, I.; Husson, S.M.; Ladner, D.A. Concentration polarization over reverse osmosis membranes with engineered surface features. J. Membr. Sci. 118199 (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118199
Ogieglo, W. +; Idarraga-Mora, J.A.+, Husson, S.M.; Pinnau, I. Direct ellipsometry for nondestructive characterization of interfacially-polymerized thin-film composite membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 608 118174 (2020) DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2020.118174
Foster, J.; Starstrom, S.; DeVol, T.A.; Powell, B.A.; Husson, S.M. Functionalized polymer thin films for plutonium capture and isotopic screening from aqueous sources. Anal. Chem. 92, 5214-5221 (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.9b05758
Malakian, A.; Husson, S.M. Understanding the roles of patterning and foulant chemistry on nanofiltration threshold flux. J. Membr. Sci. 597, 117746 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2019.117746
Idarraga-Mora, J.; Lemelin, M.; Weinman, S.T.; Husson, S.M. Effect of short-term contact with C1-C4 monohydric alcohols on the water permeance of MPD-TMC thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes. Membranes 9(8), 92 (2019) DOI: 10.3390/membranes9080092
Duval, C.E., Hardy, W.A. Pellizzeri, S. DeVol, T.A., Husson, S.M. Phosphonic acid and alkyl phosphate-derivatized resins for the simultaneous concentration and detection of uranium in environmental waters. React. Funct. Polym. (2019), DOI: 10.1016/j.reactfunctpolym.2019.01.015
Wu, Y.; Darge, A.W.; Trofimov, A.A.; Li, C.; Brinkman, K.S.; Husson, S.M.; Jacobsohn, L.G. Fabrication and characterization of ZnS: Ag-based ultrafiltration membrane scintillator. Optical Materials 88, 424-428 (2019), DOI: 10.1016/j.optmat.2018.12.009.
Idarraga-Mora, J.; Childress, A.; Friedel, P.; Ladner, D.A.; Rao, A.; Husson, S.M. Role of nanocomposite support stiffness on TFC membrane water permeance. Membranes 8(4): 111 (2018) DOI: 10.3390/membranes8040111
Weinman, S.T. Fierce, E.M.; Husson, S.M. Nanopatterning commercial nanofiltration and reverse osmosis membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 309, 646-657 (2019) DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2018.09.012.
Mannion, J.M., Shick, C.R., Fugate, G.A., Powell, B.A., Husson, S.M. Anion-exchange Polymer Filament Coating for Ultra-Trace Isotopic Analysis of Plutonium by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Talanta, 189, 502-508 (2018), DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2018.07.048
Zhou, J.; Husson, S.M. Low-energy membrane process for concentration of stickwater. Membranes 8, 25 (2018), DOI: 10.3390/membranes8020025.
Wilson, A.B.; Wang, J.; Jenkins, E.W.; Husson, S.M. Numerical Simulation of Solid Phase Adsorption Models Using Time-Integrated, Upwinded Finite Element Strategies. Computing in Science and Engineering, (2018), DOI: 10.1109/MCSE.2018.2873941
Bliznyuk, V.N.; Seliman, A.F.; Husson, S.M.; Lvov, Y.M.; DeVol, T.A. Hybrid nanoparticle-polymer brush composites for detection of low-level radiostrontium in water. Macromolecular Materials and Engineering, 303, 1700651 (2018) – [cover] DOI: 10.1002/mame.201700651
Duval, C.E., DeVol, T.A., Husson, S.M. Rapid sample preparation for alpha spectroscopy with ultrafiltration membranes. Anal. Chem., DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b00135
Idarraga-Mora, J.A.; Ladner, D.A.; Husson, S.M. Thin-film composite membranes on polyester woven mesh with variable opening size for pressure-retarded osmosis. J. Membr. Sci. 549, 251-259 (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.12.023
Weinman, S.T.; Bass, M.; Pandit, S.; Herzberg, M.; Freger, V.; Husson, S.M. A switchable zwitterionic membrane surface chemistry for biofouling control. J. Membr. Sci. 548, 490-501 (2018) .DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2017.11.055
Mannion, J.; Shick, C.; Fugate, G.; Powell, B.; Husson, S.M. Anion-Exchange Fibers for Improved Sample Loading in Ultra-Trace Analysis of Plutonium by Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Chemistry, 89, 8638-8642 (2017). DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.7b01455
Mannion, J.; Shick, C.; Fugate, G.; Wellons, M.; Powell, B.; Husson, S.M. Rhenium filament oxidation: Effect on TIMS performance and the roles of carburization and humidity. Talanta, 168, 183-187 (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.talanta.2017.03.036
Wang, J.; Zhou, J.; Gowtham, Y.; Harcum, S.W.; Husson, S.M. Antibody purification from CHO cell supernatant using new multimodal membranes. Biotechnol. Prog., 33(3), 658-665 (2017). DOI: 10.1002/btpr.2454
Mannion, J.; Wellons, M.; Shick, C.; Fugate, G.; Powell, B.; Husson, S.M. Ambient aging of rhenium filaments used in thermal ionization mass spectrometry: Growth of oxo-rhenium crystallites and anti-aging strategies. Heliyon 3 (2017) e00232.DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2017.e00232
Chitpong, N.; Husson, S.M. High-capacity, nanofiber-based ion-exchange membranes for the selective recovery of heavy metals from impaired waters. Sep. Purif. Technol. 179, 94-103 (2017). DOI: 10.1016/seppur.2017.02.009
Thies, S.R.; Duval, C.E., DeVol, T.A., Husson, S.M. Creating monodisperse microspheres using membrane emulsification. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 134 Article Number: 44593 (2017) DOI: 10.1002/APP.44593
Chitpong, N.; Husson, S.M. Poly(acrylic acid) functionalized cellulose nanofiber membranes for removal of heavy metals from impaired waters. J. Membr. Sci. 523, 418–429 (2017).
Duval, C.E., DeVol, T.A., Husson, S.M. Extractive scintillating polymer sensors for trace-level detection of waterborne uranium. Anal. Chim. Acta, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aca.2016.09.029.
Chenette, H.C.S.; Welsh, J.; Husson, S.M. Affinity membrane adsorbers for binding arginine-rich proteins, Sep. Sci. Technol., posted online: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01496395.2016.1206934.
Duval, C.E., DeVol, T.A., Wade, E.C., Seliman, A.F., Bliznyuk, V.N., Husson, S.M. Stability of Polymeric Scintillating Resins Developed for Ultra-Trace Level Detection of Alpha- and Beta-Emitting Radionuclides, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. Posted online: DOI 10.1007/s10967-016-4913-3
Weinman, S.T.; Husson, S.M. Influence of chemical coating combined with nanopatterning on alginate fouling during nanofiltration. J. Membr. Sci. 513, 146-154 (2016).
Zhou, J.; Baker, B.O.; Grimsley, C. T.; Husson, S.M. Polishing step purification of high-strength wastewaters by nanofiltration and reverse osmosis. Membranes, 6, 19 (2016).
Vu, A.; Darvishmanesh, S.; Marroquin, M.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Fouling of microfiltration membranes by biopolymers.Sep. Sci. Technol. (2016). DOI: 10.1080/01496395.2016.1150295
Duval, C.E.; DeVol, T.A.; Husson, S.M. Evaluation of resin radius and column diameter for the implementation of extractive scintillating resin in flow-cell detectors. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 307(3), 2253-2258 (2016).
Locklair, D.; Mannion, J.; Husson, S.M.; Powell, B. Uptake of plutonium on a novel thin film for use in spectrometry. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 307(3), 2333-2338 (2016).
Mannion, J.; Locklair, D.; Powell, B.; Husson, S.M. Alpha spectroscopy substrates based on thin polymer films. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 307(3), 2339-2345 (2016).
Bliznyuk, V.; Seliman, A.; Husson, S.M.; Chumanov, G.; DeVol, T.A. Fluorescence properties of fluor molecules confined within nanoscale pores in a polymer matrix. MRS Commun. 5, 347-352 (2015).
Zhou, J.; Wandera, D.; Husson, S.M. Mechanisms and control of fouling during ultrafiltration of high strength wastewater without pretreatment. J. Membr. Sci. 488, 103-110 (2015).
Wang, J.; Wilson, A.; Robinson, J.R.; Jenkins, E.W.; Husson, S.M. A new multimodal membrane adsorber for monoclonal antibody purifications. J. Membr. Sci. 492, 137-146 (2015).
Seliman, A.F.; Bliznyuk, V.N.; Husson, S.M.; DeVol, T.A. Development of polymerized 2-(1-naphthyl)-5-phenyloxazole for efficient ionizing radiation detection. J. Mater. Chem. C, 3, 7053-7061 (2015)
Bliznyuk, V.N.; Duval, C.E.; Apul, O.G.; Seliman, A.F.; Husson, S.M.; DeVol, T.A. High porosity scintillating polymer resins for ionizing radiation sensor applications. Polymer, 56, 271-279 (2015).
Chenette, H.C.S.; Husson, S.M. Membrane adsorbers comprising grafted glycopolymers for targeted lectin binding. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 132(21), (2015).
Marroquin, M.; Vu, A.; Bruce, T.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Zhao, L.; Husson, S.M. Evaluation of fouling mechanisms in asymmetric microfiltration membranes using advanced imaging. J. Membr. Sci., 465, 1-13 (2014).
Wang, J.; Sproul, R.T.; Anderson, L.S.; Husson, S.M. Development of multimodal membrane adsorbers for antibody purification using atom transfer radical polymerization. Polymer, 55, 1404-1411 (2014).
Zhou, J.; Tran, M-M.; Haldeman, A.T.; Jin, J.; Wagener, E.H.; Husson, S.M. Perfluorocyclobutyl polymer thin-film composite membranes for CO2 separations. J. Membr. Sci., 450, 478-486 (2014).
Marroquin, M.; Vu, A.; Bruce, T.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Location and Quantification of Biological Foulants in a Wet Membrane Structure by Cross-sectional Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy. J. Membr. Sci., 453, 282-291 (2014).
Zhou, J.; Jin, J.; Haldeman, A.T.; Wagener, E.H.; Husson, S.M. CO2 plasticization and physical aging of perfluorocyclobutyl polymer selective layers. J. Membr. Sci., 454, 398-406 (2014).
Zhou, J.; Jin, J.; Haldeman, A.T.; Wagener, E.H.; Husson, S.M. Formation and characterization of perfluorocyclobutyl polymer thin films. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 129, 3226-3236 (2013).
Husson, S.M. Synthesis aspects in the design of responsive membranes. In Responsive Membranes and Materials; Bhattacharyya, D., Schafer, T.; Wickramasinghe, S.R., Daunert, S., Eds.; Wiley-Blackwell: Hoboken, NJ (2013).
Weaver, J.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Anion exchange membrane adsorbers for flow-through polishing steps: Part II. Virus, host cell protein, DNA clearance and antibody recovery. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 110, 500-510 (2013).
Weaver, J.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Anion exchange membrane adsorbers for flow-through polishing steps: Part I. Clearance of Minute Virus of Mice. Biotechnol. Bioeng., 110, 491-499 (2013).
Wandera, D.; Husson, S.M. Assessment of fouling-resistant membranes for additive-free treatment of high-strength wastewaters. Desalination, 309, 222-230 (2013).
Shrestha, A.; Pellegrino, J.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. A modified porosimetry approach towards characterization of MF membranes. J. Membr. Sci., 421, 145-153 (2012).
Chenette, H.C.S.; Robinson, J.R.; Hobley, E.; Husson, S.M. Development of high-productivity, strong cation-exchange membranes for protein capture by graft polymerization from membranes with different pore sizes. J. Membr. Sci., 423-424, 43-52 (2012).
Wang, X.; Husson, S.M.; Qian, X.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Inverse Colloidal Crystal Ultrafiltration Membranes. Separ. Purif. Technol. 93, 33-41 (2012).
Wandera, D.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Modification of ultrafiltration membranes with block copolymer nanolayers for produced water treatment: the roles of polymer chain density and polymerization time on performance. J. Membr. Sci. 403, 250-260 (2012).
Cutler, H.E.J.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Prefiltration to suppress protein fouling of microfiltration membranes. Separ. Purif. Technol. 89, 329-336 (2012).
Bhut, B.V.; Conrad, K.; Husson, S.M. Preparation of high-performance membrane adsorbers by surface-initiated AGET ATRP in the presence of dissolved oxygen and low catalyst concentration. J. Membr. Sci. 390-391, 43-47 (2012).
Marroquin, M. Bruce, T.; Pellegrino, J.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Characterization of asymmetry in microporous membranes by cross-sectional confocal laser scanning microscopy. J. Membr. Sci. 374, 504-515 (2011).
Bhut, B.V.; Weaver, J.; Carter, A.R.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Husson, S.M. The Role of Polymer Nanolayer Architecture on the Separation Performance of Anion-Exchange Membrane Adsorbers. Part II: DNA and Virus Separations. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 108, 2654–2660 (2011).
Bhut, B.V.; Weaver, J.; Carter, A.R.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Husson, S.M. The Role of Polymer Nanolayer Architecture on the Separation Performance of Anion-Exchange Membrane Adsorbers. Part I: Protein Separations. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 108, 2645–2653 (2011).
Wandera, D.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Modification and Characterization of Ultrafiltration Membranes for Treatment of Produced Water. J. Membr. Sci., 373, 178–188 (2011).
Seliman, A.; Samadi, A.; Husson, S.M.; Borai, E.; DeVol, T. Preparation of polymer-coated, scintillating ion-exchange resins for monitoring of 99TC in groundwater. Anal. Chem. 83, 4759–4766 (2011).
Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Stump, E.D.; Husson, S.M.; Pellegrino, J. Understanding Virus Filtration Membrane Performance. J. Membr. Sci., 365, 160-169 (2010).
Wang, X.; Husson, S.M.; Qian, X.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Inverse Colloidal Crystal Microfiltration Membranes. J. Membr. Sci., 365, 302-310 (2010).
Samadi, A.; Kemmerlin, R.K.; Husson, S.M. Polymerized Ionic Liquid Sorbents for CO2 Separation. Energy Fuels, 24, 5797–5804 (2010).
Bhut, B.V.; Christensen, K.A.; Husson, S.M. Membrane Chromatography: Protein purification from E. Coli lysate using newly designed and commercial anion-exchange stationary phases. J. Chromatogr. A, 1217, 4946–4957 (2010).
Wandera, D.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Stimuli-responsive membranes. J Membr. Sci., 357, 6–35 (2010).
Tomer, N.; Mondal, S.; Wandera, D.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Modification of Nanofiltration Membranes by Surface-initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization for Produced Water Filtration. Sep. Sci. Technol. 44, 3346–3368 (2009).
Wang, X.; Husson, S.M.; Qian, X.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Vertical cell assembly of colloidal crystal films with controllable thickness. Mater. Lett. 63, 1981–1983 (2009).
Wickramasinghe, S.R., Bower, S.E., Chen, Z., Mukherjee, A., Husson, S.M. Relating the Pore Size Distribution of Ultrafiltration Membranes to Dextran Rejection. J. Membr. Sci. 340, 1–8 (2009).
Bhut, B.V.; Husson, S.M. Dramatic performance improvement of weak anion-exchange membranes for chromatographic bioseparations. J. Membr. Sci. 337, 215–223 (2009).
Loh, S.; Beuscher, U.; Poddar, T.K.; Porter, A.G.; Wingard, J.M.; Husson, S.M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R. Interplay Among Membrane Properties, Protein Properties and Operating Conditions on Protein Fouling During Normal Flow Microfiltration. J. Membr. Sci. 332, 93–103 (2009).
Bhut, B.V.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Preparation of high-capacity, weak anion-exchange membranes for protein separations using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization. J. Membr. Sci. 325, 176–183 (2008).
Singh, N.; Chen, Z.; Tomer, N.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Soice, N.; Husson, S.M. Modification of Regenerated Cellulose Ultrafiltration Membranes by Surface-initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. J. Membr. Sci., 311, 225–234 (2008).
Singh, N.; Wang, J.; Ulbricht, M.; Wickramasinghe, S.R.; Husson, S.M. Surface-initiated Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization: A New Method for Preparation of Polymeric Membrane Adsorbers. J. Membr. Sci. 309, 64–72 (2008).
Singh, N.; Cui, X.; Boland, T.; Husson, S.M. The Role of Independently Variable Grafting Densities and Layer Thicknesses of Polymer Nanolayers on Peptide Adsorption and Cell Adhesion. Biomaterials, 28, 763–771 (2007).
Li, X.; Husson, S.M. Two-Dimensional Molecular Imprinting Approach to Produce Optical Biosensor Recognition Elements. Langmuir, 22, 9658–9663 (2006).
Singh, N.; Husson, S.M.; Zdyrko, B.; Luzinov, I. Surface Modification of Microporous PVDF Membranes by ATRP. J. Membr. Sci. 262, 81–90 (2005).
Wei, X.; Li, X. Husson, S.M. Surface Molecular Imprinting by Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization. Biomacromolecules, 6, 1113–1121 (2005).