18th International Conference
on Inorganic Membranes
A LOOK BACK AT ICIM-18
“Membranes Today & Keys for Tomorrow“
ICIM 2026 IN NUMBERS
310 attendees | 32 countries
164 oral presentations | 10 thematic sessions
(6 plenaries, 20 keynotes, 15 invited talks, 10 industry pitches, 36 PhD pitches)
97 poster presentations | 3 poster sessions
30 sponsors & partners | 10 industrial exhibitors
2 Lifetime Achievement Awards | 16 PhD Student Awards
The 18th International Conference on Inorganic Membranes (ICIM-18) marked a special milestone in the history of our conference series.
Thirty-seven years after the first ICIM was organized in Montpellier by Professor Louis Cot, the international inorganic membrane community returned to the city where this scientific adventure began.
Guided by the conference slogan, “Membranes Today & Keys for Tomorrow”, ICIM-18 brought together researchers, students, and industrial partners from around the world to exchange ideas and explore the future of membrane science and technology. Discussions highlighted the crucial role of inorganic, hybrid and composite membranes in addressing major societal challenges. Key topics included water treatment, hydrogen production, industrial decarbonization, carbon capture, complex liquid processing, resource recovery, and the development of sustainable processes. A dedicated symposium focused on hydrogen-related applications, while an industry session showcased emerging technologies and opportunities for collaboration.
Beyond its scientific excellence, ICIM-18 once again demonstrated the friendly and family-like atmosphere that makes this conference unique, fostering new collaborations, lasting friendships and inspiring ideas for the future.
We warmly thank all those who contributed to the success of ICIM-18, including our plenary, keynote and invited speakers, authors, poster presenters, reviewers, session chairs and Scientific Committee members. Special appreciation goes to our dedicated PhD students, who enthusiastically embraced the new Pitch & Poster Competition, as well as to our industrial partners, exhibitors and sponsors, whose support strengthened the connection between academic research and industrial innovation.
We also gratefully acknowledge the organizing committee and volunteers, whose commitment behind the scenes made this event possible.
The 2026 edition also provided an opportunity to honour two distinguished members of our community. The ICIM Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Professor Jerry Lin, faithful participant in all 18 editions since 1989, and to Professor Louis Cot, founder of the ICIM conference series and one of the pioneers of ceramic membrane science.
Thank you for making ICIM-18 a memorable success.
We look forward to seeing you at the next ICIM in Nanjing!
IEM-CNRS-Université de Montpellier
France
Chair of ICIM 2026
Jose Manuel Serra
ITQ-CSIC-Universitat Politècnica de Valencia
Spain
Co-Chair of ICIM 2026
Important dates
Plenary Speakers
Rune BREDESEN
He has 45 years of experience in materials research, mainly directed towards energy technology. With education from University of Oslo in chemistry, he started 1988 at Senter for Industrial Research, which later became SINTEF, working on solid oxide fuel cells, inorganic membranes and membrane processes. The main membrane activities have been related to dense Pd-based, dense mixed ion and electron conducting, microporous, inorganic contactors, and high temperature electrochemical proton conducting cells. Dr. Rune Bredesen has for years been a member of International Committees for membrane conferences as ICIM, ICCMRM, ICOM, and was the Chair and organiser of ICIM9 in 2006 at Lillehammer.
He was appointed Chief Scientist in SINTEF 2001, Research Director (2005) and from 2013 Vice President Research and Head of the Sustainable Energy Technology Department. His department is working in areas of hydrogen, batteries, PV, CO2-capture, advanced materials, and sustainability and techno-economic analysis. Bredesen has co-authored about 100 journal papers, several book chapters, and patents.
Website: https://www.sintef.no/en/sintef-industry/departments-at-sintef-industry/department-of-sustainable-energy-technology/
Title: Dr. Scient. Rune BREDESEN is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture focussed on “Inorganic Membranes for Hydrogen-related Applications”.
Wanqin JIN
He received his Ph.D. from Nanjing University of Technology in 1999. He was a research associate at Institute of Materials Research & Engineering of Singapore (2001), an Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow (2001-2003), visiting Professor at Arizona State University (2007) and Hiroshima University (2011, JSPS invitation fellowship).
His currently research focuses on membrane materials and processes. He has published over 300 refereed journal publications including Nature, Science, Nat. Mater., Nat. Rev. Mater., Nat. Comm., Adv. Mater., Angew. Chem., AIChE J., J. Membr. Sci., with 34,000+ citations; written 3 monographs, contributed 6 book chapters and hold 65 authorized patents.
He was co-chair of the 10th International Congress on Membrane and Membrane Processes (ICOM2014), and he is now an editor of the Journal of Membrane Science. His research has been awarded the Underwood Medal (2019) by the IChemE (UK) and the “Humboldt Research Award” (2021) by Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for his leading research in the area of separation.
Website: wqjingroup.com
Title: Professor Wanqin JIN is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture on “Graphene and MOF-based Membranes for Molecular or Ion Separation”.
Jerry LIN
He was department chair of chemical engineering at ASU from 2006-2009, following a 13-year tenure as a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati. His primary research areas include membrane science, adsorption/catalysis, and energy storage. He has published about 400 papers, mostly in chemical engineering journals, and holds 9 US and European patents, with 5 additional US patents pending. Dr. Lin has made significant contributions to the design, synthesis, and application of inorganic membranes for separation and reaction processes, helping to advance their industrial adoption.
Prof. Lin’s research has been recognized with several national awards, including the National Science Foundation CAREER award in 1995, the AIChE Institute Award for Excellence in Industrial Gas Technologies in 2009 and the AIChE Gerhold Award in 2021. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the North American Membrane Society (NAMS).
Prof. Lin’s contributions to the scientific community extend to serving as a referee for around 50 journals and 20 funding agencies. He has also co-chaired several major membrane conferences, notably serving as the chairman of the 2004 International Conference on Inorganic Membranes (ICIM-8). He was Editor of the Chemical Engineering Series of World Scientific Publishing, and founding Editor-in-Chief of JMS Letters. Currently, Prof. Lin is the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Membrane Science.
Website: https://search.asu.edu/profile/749455
Title: Professor Jerry LIN is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture focussed on “Zeolite Membranes for Molecular Separation, Membrane Reactors and Energy Storage”.
Ian METCALFE
He studied undergraduate chemical engineering at Imperial College before performing his graduate studies at Princeton University. He returned to the UK to take up a position as a Lecturer and later Senior Lecturer at Imperial College. In 1997 he was appointed to the Chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Edinburgh and in 2001 he became Professor of Chemical Engineering at UMIST. In 2005 he moved to Newcastle University as the Professor of Chemical Engineering.
Ian was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng) in 2012. He has held a European Research Council Advanced Grant and was director of the virtual UK membrane centre (SynFabFun) for five years. He currently holds a 10-year RAEng Chair in Emerging Technologies. He has authored a text book on chemical reaction engineering which has sold 10 000 copies and has published more than 150 refereed research articles. He has supervised more than 50 PhD students.
His research is in the area of the thermodynamics of chemical conversion with an emphasis on energy processes. Much of his research involves working with inorganic membranes. He has a particular interest in membrane processes, interfacial reactions and the application of ionic conductivity.
Website: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/engineering/staff/profile/ianmetcalfe.html
Title: Professor Ian METCALFE is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture on “How to use thermodynamic tricks to build and operate high-performance CO2 permeable membranes”.
Stéphane SARRADE
He graduated as a Biotechnology Engineer in 1989 and obtained his Ph.D. in 1994 in Chemical Engineering, focusing on Supercritical Fluids and Membrane Processes. In 2000, he received the Habilitation to Supervise Research. He joined CEA in 1995 and successively held the positions of head of laboratory (1998), head of service (2004), and head of department (2009) within the Nuclear Energy Division (DEN) of CEA. He managed R&D programs in Chemical Engineering applied to decommissioning, decontamination, reprocessing, and nuclear waste management.
He was elected Chair of the French Membrane Club from 2000 to 2010. Additionally, since 2006, he has been Chair of Supercritical Fluids Innovation (IFS), a non-profit organization devoted to green processes.
Since 2011, he has been Research Director of CEA in Chemical Engineering and Green Chemistry. In 2020, he became Director of the Energy Programs Direction at CEA, overseeing low-carbon energy R&D, including Nuclear and Renewable Energies, with over 2,200 staff. Re-elected in 2024 to the board of the European Sustainable Nuclear Energy Platform, he has also chaired the Generation IV International Forum since early 2025.
Website: https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/23/09/stephane_sarrade_new.pdf
Title: Dr. Stéphane SARRADE is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture during the Opening Session. The title is “From Membranes to Membranes”.
Ingolf VOIGT
He studied Chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany), where he also earned his PhD. Since 1993, he has been working on the development and application of inorganic membranes, including oxides, non-oxides, carbon, zeolites, palladium, and mixed-matrix membranes.
Prof. Voigt has published 57 peer-reviewed papers, contributed to 4 book chapters, and holds 19 patents. His work has been recognized with several awards, such as the Thuringian Research Award (2000 and 2011), the Corporate Environmental Achievement Award of ACerS (2015), the Joseph von Fraunhofer Award for developing ceramic nanofiltration membranes (2017), and the Johann Friedrich Böttger Award of the German Ceramic Society (2021).
Additionally, he has (co)chaired numerous inorganic membrane events, including serving as chairman of the 2018 International Conference on Inorganic Membranes (ICIM-15) and the Symposium on “Ceramic membranes, water treatment and gas separation” at the ECerS Conference in 2025.
Website: https://www.ikts.fraunhofer.de/en/contact/dringolfvoigt.html
Title: Professor Dr. Ingolf VOIGT is scheduled to deliver a plenary lecture on Inorganic Membranes for Water Treatment.
Hosts
