Research articles
 

2024 ​

Hypercrosslinked natural biopolymers with quasi-unimodal micropores for carbon capture., L. Ding, Y. Wu, G. Lu, X. Fan, M. Carta, C. H. Lau, Carbon Capture Science & Technology, pp 100305, 13 (2024)

 

A two-stage sorption strategy to improve heat storage performance of salt/porous matrix composites. W. Wei, L. Yang, G. Santori, Y. Li, C. H. Lau, X. Fan, Solar Energy, pp 112938, 282, (2024)

 

Spray-assisted assembly of thin-film composite membranes in one process, S. Lin, Y. Zhang, S. Lu, C. H. Lau, Advanced Membranes, 4 , pp 100080 (2024)

 

Comparing the environmental impacts of using bio-renewable and fossil-derived solvent in polymer membrane fabrications, A. Arif+, N. Chanchaona, C. H. Lau§, Advanced Membranes, 3, pp 100079, (2023)

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Fabrication of high-flux defect-free hollow fiber membranes derived from a phenolphthalein-based copolyimide for gas separation, B. Chen, G. Zhao, C. H. Lau, F. Wang, S. Fan, C. Niu, Z. Ren, G. Tang, P. Qin, Y. Liu, P. Li, Separation and Purification Technology, 331, 125724 (2024)

 

Synthesizing Hypercrosslinked Polymers with Deep Eutectic Solvents to Enhance CO2/N2 Selectivity, L. Ding, N. Chanchaona, K. Konstas, M. R. Hill,  X. Fan, C. D. Wood, C. H. Lau, ChemSusChem, e202301602 (2024)

 

Interfacial polymerization using biobased solvents and their application as desalination and organic solvent nanofiltration membranes, S. Lin. A. C. Semiao, Y. Zhang, S. Lu, C. H. Lau, Journal of Membrane Science, 122281 (2024)

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Photo-modulated regeneration of hypercrosslinked polymer adsorbents for water treatment, A. Liu, X. Wei, S. Lin, L. Ding, Y. Huang, X. Fan, P. Li, C. H. Lau, Separation and Purification Technology, 329, 125142 (2024)

 

Assessing the environmental impacts of flow and batch syntheses of hypercrosslinked polymers for low-pressure CO2 adsorption, N. Chanchaona, C. H. Lau, Separation and Purification Technology, 329, 125145 (2024) 

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Spray-assisted assembly of thin-film composite membranes in one process, S. Lin, Y. Zhang, S. Lu, C. H. Lau, Advanced Membranes, 4, 100080 (2024)

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2023 

Comparing the environmental impacts of using bio-renewable and fossil-derived solvent in polymer membrane fabrications, A. Arif, N. Chanchaona, C. H. Lau, Advanced Membranes, 3, 100079 (2023)

 

Delivering low-energy carbon capture with photo-responsive hypercrosslinked polymers derived from polystyrene waste, A. Liu, G. Lu, X. Fan, C. H. Lau, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 11, 20559 – 20567 (2023)

 

Ice-confined Synthesis of Highly Ionized 3D-quasi-layered Polyamide Nanofiltration Membranes, Y. Zhang, H. Wang, J. Guo, X. Cheng, G. Han, C. H. Lau, H. Lin, S. Liu, J. Ma, L. Shao, Science 382, 6667, 202 – 206 (2023)

 

Analyzing environmental impacts of hypercrosslinked polymers produced from continuous flow synthesis for water treatment, N. Chanchaona, and C. H. Lau, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research 62, 9046 – 9053 (2023)

 

Surface manipulation for prevention of migratory viscous crude oil fouling in superhydrophilic membranes, Y. Zhao, X. Yang, Z. Cheng, C. H. Lau, J. Ma, and L. Shao, Nature Communications 14, 1 – 12 (2023)

 

Boosting Membrane Carbon Capture via Multifaceted Polyphenol-mediated Soldering, B. Zhu, S. He, Y. Yang, S.Li, C. H. Lau, S. Liu, and L. Shao, Nature Communications 14, 1697 (2023)

 

DRIFTS-SSITKA-MS Investigations on the mechanism of plasmon preferentially enhanced CO2 hydrogenation over Au/Al2O3, K. Wang, S. Shao, Y. Liu, M. Cao, J. Yu, C. H. Lau, Y. Zheng, X. Fan, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental  328, 122531 (2023)

 

Photo-modulating CO2 uptake of hypercrosslinked polymers upcycled from polystyrene waste, A. Liu, C. Mollart, A. Trewin, X. Fan, C. H. Lau, ChemSusChem e202300019 (2023)

 

Flow synthesis of hypercrosslinked polymers with additional microporosity to enhance CO2/N2 separations, N. Chanchaona, L. Ding, S. Lin, S. Sarwar, S. Dimartino, A.J. Fletcher, D. Dawson, K. Konstas, M. R. Hill, C. H. Lau,§ Journal of Materials Chemistry A 11, 891 – 900 (2023)

 

Spray coating polymer substrates from a green solvent to enhance desalination performances of thin film composites, S. Lin, S. He, S. Sarwar, R. Milescu, C. R. McElroy, S. Dimartino, L. Shao, C. H. Lau,§ Journal of Materials Chemistry A 11, 891 – 900 (2023)

 

2022

Crosslinked thermally rearranged polybenzoxazole derived from phenolphthalein-based polyimide for gas separation, P. Du, Z.Wang, T. Zhang, C. H. Lau, S. Liu, P. Li, Journal of Membrane Science, 662, 120934 (2022)

 

Enhancement of performance and stability of thin-film nanocomposite membranes for organic solvent nanofiltration using hypercrosslinked polymer additives, H. Zhou, A. Akram, A. J. C. Semiao, R. Malpass-Evans, C. H. Lau, N. B. McKeown, W. Zhang, Journal of Membrane Science, 644, 120172, (2022)

 

Symbiosis-inspired de novo synthesis of ultrahigh MOF growth mixed matrix membranes for sustainable carbon capture, S. He, B. Zhu, X. Jiang, G. Han, S. Li, C. H. Lau, Y. Wu, Y. Zhang, L. Shao, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119, e2114964119 (2022)

 

2021

Critical operation factors and proposed testing protocol of nanofiltration membranes for developing advanced membrane materials, J. H. Huang, X. Q. Cheng, Y.D. Wu, Y. Q. Zhang, S. W. Li, C. H. Lau, and L. Shao, Advanced Composites and Hybrid Materials, 4, 1092 – 1101 (2021)

 

Polymer Chemistry Applications of Cyrene and its Derivative Cygnet 0.0 as Safer Replacements for Polar Aprotic Solvents, R. A. Milescu, A. Zhenova, M. Vastano, R. Gammons, S. Lin, C. H. Lau, J. H. Clark, C. R. McElroy, A. Pellis, ChemSusChem, 14, 3367 – 3381 (2021)

 

Breaking through permeability-selectivity trade-off of thin-film composite membranes assisted with crown ethers, L. Shen, M. Yi, S. Japip, C. Han, L. Tian, C. H. Lau§, Y. Wang, AIChE Journal, 67, 6, e17173 (2021)

 

Fabricating thin-film composite membranes for pervaporation desalination via photo-crosslinking, J. Meng, P. Zhao, B. Cao, C. H. Lau, Y, Xue, R. Zhang, P. Li, Desalination, 512, 115128 (2021)

 

Unravelling the CC coupling in CO2 photocatalytic reduction with H2O on Au/TiO2-x: Combination of plasmonic excitation and oxygen vacancy, K. Wang, J. Lu, Y. Lu, C. H. Lau, Y. Zheng, X. Fan, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 120147 (2021)

 

Operando DRIFTS-MS investigation on plasmon-thermal coupling mechanism of CO2 hydrogenation on Au/TiO2: The enhanced generation of oxygen vacancies, K. Wang, M. Cao, J. Lu, Y. Lu, C. H. Lau, Y. Zheng, X. Fan, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 292, 120341 (2021)

 

Molecular soldered covalent organic frameworks for ultrafast precision sieving, Y. Zhang, J. Guo, G. Han, Y. Bai, Q. Ge, J. Ma, C. H. Lau, L. Shao, Science Advances, 7, 13, eabe8706 (2021)

 

Aqueous one-step modulation for synthesizing monodispersed ZIF-8 nanocrystals for mixed-matrix membrane, X. Jiang S. He, G. Han, J. Long, S. Li, C. H. Lau, S. Zhang, L. Shao, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13, 9, 11296 – 11305 (2021)

 

Membrane surface functionalization with imidazole derivatives to benefit dye removal and fouling resistance in forward osmosis, J. Guo, Q. Yang, Q. W. Meng, C. H. Lau, Q. Ge, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 13, 5, 6710 – 6719 (2021)

 

2020

Recycling plastic waste for environmental remediation in water purification and CO2 capture, X.-X. Dong, A. Akram, B. Comesane-Gandara, X.-F. Dong, Q. -C. Ge, K. Wang, S.-P Sun, B. -S. Jin, C. H. Lau, ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2, 7, 2586 – 2593 (2020)

 

Tailoring molecular interactions between microporous polymers in high performance mixed matrix membranes for gas separations, C. H. Lau, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, S. J. D. Smith, R. Hou, H. Wang, M. Carta, H. Yoon, J. Park, B. D. Freeman, R. Malpass-Evans, E. Lasseuguette, M.-C. Ferrari, N. B. McKeown, M. R. Hill, Nanoscale, 12, 33, 17405 – 17410 (2020)

 

Tailoring the molecular structure of crosslinked polymers for desalination, Y. L. Xue, J. Huang, C. H. Lau, B. Cao, P. Li, Nature Communications, 11, 1, 1 – 9 (2020)

 

Robust natural nanocomposites realizing unprecendented ultrafast precise molecular separations, Y.-Q. Zhang, X. -Q. Cheng, X. Jiang, J. J. Urban, C. H. Lau, S. -Q. Liu, L. Shao, Materials Today, 36, 40 – 47 (2020)

 

Compatibilising hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymer via spray coating for desalination, J. Meng, C. H. Lau, Y. Xue, R. Zhang, B. Cao, P. Li, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 8, 17, 8462 -8468 (2020)

 

2019 

Continuous flow knitting of a triptycene hypercrosslinked polymer, C. H. Lau, T.-D. Lu, S.-P. Sun, X. Chen, M. Carta, D. M. Dawson, Chemical Communications., 55, 8571 – 8574 (2019)

 

Highly permeable Thermally Rearranges Mixed Matrix Membranes (TR-MMM), S. J. D. Smith, R. Hou, C. H. Lau, K. Konstas, M. Kitchin, G. Dong, J. Lee, W. H. Lee, J. G. Seong, Y. M. Lee, M. R. Hill, Journal of Membrane Science, 585, 260 – 270 (2019)

 

Oxidative crosslinking of copolyimides at sub-Tg temperatures to enhance resistance against CO2-induced plasticization, L. Deng, Y. Xue, J. Yan, C. H. Lau, B. Cao, P. Li, Journal of Membrane Science, 583, 40 – 48 (2019)

 

Tailoring the porosity in iron phosphosulfide nanosheets to improve the performance of photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, J. Zhang, F. Feng, Y. Pu, X. Li, C. H. Lau, W. Huang, ChemSusChem, 12, 2651 – 2659 (2019)

 

Novel Ionic Grafts that enhance arsenic removal via forward osmosis, Q. Yang, C. H. Lau, Q. Ge, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces,11, 17828 - 17835 (2019)

 

Zwitterion-Ag Complexes that simultaneously enhance biofouling resistance and silver binding capacity of thin film composite membranes, M. Yi, C. H. Lau, S. Xiong, W. Wei, R. Liao, L. Shen, Y. Wang, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11, 15698 – 15708 (2019)

 

Elucidating the impact of polymer crosslinking and fixed carrier on enhanced water transport during desalination using pervaporation membranes, Y. L. Xue, C. H. Lau, C. Bing, P. Li, Journal of Membrane Science, 575, 135 -146, (2019)

 

Solvation effects on the permeation and aging performance of PIM-based MMMs for gas separation, R. Hou, S. J. D. Smith, C. D. Wood, R. J. Mulder, C. H. Lau, H. Wang, M. R. Hill, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 11, 6502 – 6511 (2019)

 

2018

Electrospun nanofiber substrates that enhance polar solvent separation from organic compounds in thin-film composites, T. D. Lu, B. Z. Chen, J. Wang, T. Z. Jia, X. L. Cao, Y. Wang, W. Xing, C. H. Lau, S. P. Sun, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 6, 15047 -15056, (2018)

 

A Novel Multi-Charged Draw Solute That Removes Organic Arsenicals from Water in a Hybrid Membrane Process, Q. Ge, C. H. Lau, M. Liu, Environmental Science and Technology, 52, 3812-3819 (2018)

 

2017

Building Additional Passageways in Polyamide Membranes with Hydrostable Metal Organic Frameworks to Recycle and Remove Organic Solutes from Various Solvents, X. Q. Cheng, X. Jiang, Y. Q. Zhang, C. H. Lau, Z. Xie, D. Ng, S. J. D. Smith, M. R. Hill, L. Shao, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 9, 38877 – 38886, (2017)

 

Post-Synthetic Annealing: Linker Self-Exchange in UiO-66 and Its Effect on Polymer-Metal Organic Framework Interaction, S. J. D. Smith, K. Konstas, C. H. Lau, Y. M. Gozukara, C. D. Easton, R. J. Mulder, B. P. Ladewig, M. R. Hill, Crystal Growth and Design, 17, 4384 – 4392, 2017

 

Hypercrosslinked Additives that Impede Aging and Enhance Permeability in Thin Polyacetylene Films for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration, X. Q. Cheng, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, C. D. Wood, X. Mulet, D. Ng, Z. Xie, M. R. Hill, L. Shao, C. H. Lau, ACS Applied Applied Materials and Interfaces,9, 14401 – 14408 (2017)

 

Organic Microporous Nanofillers with Unique Alcohol Affinity for Superior Ethanol Recovery toward Sustainable Biofuels, X. Q. Cheng, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, C. D. Wood, X. Mulet, D. Ng, Z. Xie, M. R. Hill, C. H. Lau, L. Shao, ChemSusChem, 10, 1887 -1891 (2017)

 

2016

Physical Aging in Glassy Mixed Matrix Membranes; Tuning Particle Interaction for Mechanically Robust Nanocomposite Films, S. J. D. Smith, C. H. Lau, J. I. Mardel, M. Litchin, K. Konstas, B. P. Ladewig, M. R. Hill, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 4, 10627 – 10634 (2016)

 

2015

Hypercrosslinked Additives for Ageless Gas Separation Membranes, C. H. Lau, X. Mulet, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, M.-A. Sani, F. Separovic, M. R. Hill, C. D. Wood, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 55, 1998 -2001 (2015)

 

AIMS: A New Strategy to Control Physical Aging and Gas Transport in Mixed-Matrix Membranes. M. Kitchin, K. Konstas, C. H. Lau, A. W. Thornton, C. J. Sumby, J. Teo, C. J. Doonan, M. R. Hill, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3, 15241 – 15247 (2015)

 

Tailoring Physical Aging in Super Glassy Polymers with Functionalized Porous Aromatic Frameworks for CO2 Capture. C. H. Lau, K. Konstas, A. J. Hill, M. R. Hill, Chemistry of Materials, 27, 2669 – 2673 (2015)

 

Mussel-Inspired Hybrid Gradient Coatings Transforming Membrane Hydrophobicity into Superhydrophilicity and Underwater Superoleophobicity for Oil/Water Separation. Z. X. Wang, L. Shao, X. Q. Cheng, C. H. Lau, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 7, 9534 – 9545 (2015)

 

Using Intermolecular Interaction to Crosslink PIM-1 and Modify its Gas Sorption Properties. T. O. McDonald, R. Akthar, C. H. Lau, T. Ratvijitvech, G. Cheng, R. Clowes, D. J. Adams, T. Hasell, A. I. Cooper, Journal of Materials Chemistry A ,3, 4855 – 4864 (2015)

 

Gas Separation Membranes Loaded with Porous Aromatic Frameworks that Improve with Age. C. H. Lau, K. Konstas, A. W. Thornton, A. C. Y. Liu, S. Mudie, D. F. Kennedy, S. C. Howard, A. J. Hill, M. R. Hill, Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 54, 2669 – 2673 (2015)

 

Ti Loaded Metal-Organic Frameworks that Deliver Exceptional Gas Permeability in Mixed Matrix Membranes. S. J. D. Smith, B. P. Ladewig, A. J. Hill, C. H. Lau, M. R. Hill, Scientific Reports, 5, 7823 (2015)

 

2014

Mussel-Inspired Tailoring of Membrane Wettability for Harsh Water Treatment. Z. X. Wang, C. H. Lau, N. Q. Zhang, P. X. Wang, L. Shao, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, 3, 2650 – 2657 (2014)

 

High Flux Polyethylene Glycol Based nanofiltration Membranes for Water Environmental Remediation. X.Q. Cheng, L. Shao, C. H. Lau, Y. Y. Liu, Journal of Membrane Science, 476, 95 – 104 (2014)

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Ending Aging in Super Glassy Polymer Membranes. C. H. Lau, P. T. Nyguen, M. R. Hill, A. W. Thornton, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, R. Mulder, L. Bourgeois, D. J. Sprouster, J. P. Sullivan, T. J. Bastow, A. J. Hill, D. L. Gin, R. D. Noble, Angewandte Chemie, 126, 5426 – 5430 (2014)

 

2013

A Route to Drastic Increase of CO2 Uptake in Zr Metal Organic Framework UiO-66. C. H. Lau, R. Babarao and M. R. Hill, Chemical Communications, 49, 3634 – 3636 (2013)

 

2011

Molecular Design of Nanohybrid Gas Separation Membranes for Optimal CO2 Separation. C. H. Lau, D. R. Paul, and T. S. Chung, Polymer, 53, 454-465 (2011)

 

Effects of Si-O-Si Agglomerations on CO2 Transport and Separation Properties of Sol-Derived Nanohybrid Membranes. C. H. Lau, and T. S. Chung, Macromolecules, 44, 6057-6066 (2011)

 

Liquid-like Poly(ethylene glycol) Supported in the Organic-Inorganic Matrix for CO2 Removal, by J. Xia, S. Liu, C. H. Lau, T. S. Chung, Marcomolecules, 44, 5268-5280 (2011)

 

Silica Nanohybrid Membranes with High CO2 Affinity for Green Hydrogen Purification. C. H. Lau, S. Liu, D. R. Paul, J. Xia, Y.-C. Jean, H. Chen, and T. S. Chung.   Advanced Energy Materials, 1, 634-642 (2011)

 

2010

A Vapor-phase Surface Modification Method to Enhance Different Types of Hollow Fiber Membranes for Industrial Scale Hydrogen Separation. C. H. Lau, B. T. Low, L. Shao, T. S. Chung; International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 35, 8970 -8982 (2010)

 

2009

A Novel Strategy for Surface Modification of Polyimide Membranes by Vapor-phase Ethylenediamine (EDA) for Hydrogen Purification. L. Shao, C. H. Lau, T. S. Chung; International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 34, 8716 – 8722 (2009)

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2008

The Effect of Functionalization on Structure and Electrical Conductivity of Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes.  C.H Lau, R. Cervini, S. R. Clarke, M. G. Markovic, J. G. Matisons, S. C. Hawkins, C. P. Huynh, G. P. Simon; Journal of Nanoparticle Research, 10, 77-88 (2008)

 

Review articles

Recent advances in porous organic polymers for sustainable gas separations., W. Liu, Y. Yang, L. Guo, J. Di, C. H. Lau, M. V. Berneshev, L. Shao, Chemical Engineering Journal, 498, 155569, (2024).

 

Recent progress in thermally rearranged (TR) polymer based membranes for sustainable gas separations., L. Guo, W. Liu, Y. Yang, A. Ali, C. H. Lau, M. V. Berneshev, L. Shao, Separation and Purification Technology, 129690 (2024).

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Recent advances in monovalent ion selective membranes towards environmental remediation and energy harvesting, W. Wang, Y. Zhang, M. Tan, C. Xue, W. Zhou, H. Bao, C. H. Lau, X. Yang, J. Ma, L. Shao, Separation and Purification Technology, 297, 121520 (2022)

 

Recent progress in PIM-1 based membranes for sustainable CO2 separations: Polymer structure manipulation and mixed matrix membrane design, S. He, B. Zhu, S. Li, Y. Zhang, X. Jiang, C. H. Lau, L. Shao, Separation and Purification Technology, 284, 120277 (2022)

 

State of the art and opportunities for forward osmosis in sewage concentration and wastewater treatment, X. Wu, C. H. Lau, B. K. Pramanik, J. Zhang, Z. Xie, Membranes, 11, 305 (2021)

 

Control of physical aging in super-glassy polymer mixed matrix membranes, S. J. D. Smith, R. Hou, K. Konstas, A. Akram, C. H. Lau, M. R. Hill, Accounts of Chemical Research, 53, 7, 1381 – 1388 (2020)

 

Towards Sustainable Ultrafast Molecular-Separation Membranes: From Conventional Polymers to Emerging Materials, X. Q. Cheng, Z. X. Wang, X. Jiang, C. H. Lau, Z. Guo, J. Ma, L. Shao, Progress in Materials Sciences, 92, 258 – 283 (2018)

 

Recent Progress in PEO Containing Reverse Selective Membranes for CO2 Capture.  S. Liu, L. Shao, M. Chua, C. H. Lau, H. Wang, S. Quan, Progress in Polymer Science, 38, 1089-1120 (2013)

 

Reverse Selective Membranes for Gas Separation. C. H. Lau, T. S. Chung, D. R. Paul, Progress in Polymer Science, 38, 740 – 766 (2013)

 

Peer Review Book Chapter

Supramolecular Membranes: Synthesis and Characterizations in Nanostructured Polymer Membranes, Volume 1: Processing and Characterization, John Wiley & Sons; edited by Visakh P. M., Olga Narazenko

 

Refereed Conference Proceedings

Replacing plastics and hazardous solvents in polymer membrane fabrication, C. H. Lau, Materials Research Society International Conference on Materials for Humanity 21 (2021)

 

Transforming plastic waste into microporous adsorbents for environmental remediation, X. Dong, B. Jin, C. H. Lau, AIChE Annual Meeting (2019)

 

Control of physical aging in super glassy polymer membranes without permeability loss, C. H. Lau, P. T. Nyguen, M. R. Hill, A. W. Thornton, K. Konstas, C. M. Doherty, R. Mulder, L. Bourgeois, D. J. Sprouster, J. P. Sullivan, T. J. Bastow, A. J. Hill, D. L. Gin, R. D. Noble, Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 248 (2014)

 

MOFs for use in mixed matrix membranes, produced at scale, C. H. Lau, M. Rubio-Martinez, M. Batten, R. Babarao, S. J. D. Smith, B. P. Ladewig, A. J. Hill, M. R. Hill, K.-S. Lim, Abstracts of Papers of the American Chemical Society, 248 (2014)

 

Characterizing free volumes and layer structures in polymeric membranes using slow positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. Y. C. Jean, H. Chen, S. Zhang, H Chen, L. J. Lee, S. Awad, J. Huang, C. H. Lau, H. Wang, F. Y. Li, T.-S. Chung, Journal of Physics: Conference series, 262, 012027 (2011)