Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Jinlei Yang, Bin Tu, Guangjie Zhang, Pengchao Liu, Kui Hu, Jiarong Wang, Zhuang Yan, Zhiwei Huang, Munan Fang, Junjun Hou, Qiaojun Fang, Xiaohui Qiu, Lianshan Li, Zhiyong Tang
Summary: Osmotic power, or 'blue energy', is a vast and sustainable energy source produced by mixing solutions of different salt concentrations. This study demonstrates the potential application of covalent organic framework monolayer membranes with well-ordered pore arrangement in osmotic power generation, achieving low membrane resistance and high ion conductivity.
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiangyang Liu, Xiaotong Zong, Sa Xue, Maogang He
Summary: In this study, the density, charge distribution, and flow behavior of [EMIM][BF4] ionic liquid blended with water in a nanochannel were investigated using molecular dynamic simulation. It was found that the addition of water weakened the stratification effect and improved the flow velocity, while the electric field had different effects depending on its direction.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Kecheng Guan, Yuandong Jia, Yuqing Lin, Shengyao Wang, Hideto Matsuyama
Summary: This study developed chemically converted graphene using a one-step method to achieve more stable and functional nanochannels, which can exclude approximately 90% of NaCl solutes from water in a pressure-driven filtration process.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Yaxiong Cheng, Yuhua Dong, Qinggang Huang, Kejing Huang, Shuangbao Lyu, Yonghui Chen, Jinglai Duan, Dan Mo, Youmei Sun, Jie Liu, Yong Peng, Huijun Yao
Summary: A convenient method is reported to introduce ionic selective channels in micron-thick polycarbonate membranes through swift heavy ion irradiation, UV sensitization, and pulsed-electrical etching, tuning the characteristic dimensions of the channels for subnanoporous membranes with excellent ionic separation and sieving properties. The study found that the transmembrane conduction of multivalent ions was suppressed compared to monovalent ions until the size of the membrane channel matched the hydrated diameter of multivalent ions, showing high selectivity for various ions and channel diameters.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2021)
Review
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Minmin Li, Yuchen Cao, Yuting Xiong, Guangyan Qing
Summary: Biological ion channels have asymmetries in structure and charge distribution, which enable them to perform diverse activities such as signal transduction and cell motility. Inspired by this, researchers have been pursuing artificial ion channels with comparable functions. However, current homogeneous nanochannels have not been able to achieve similar rewards. Hierarchically engineered heterogeneous nanochannels, on the other hand, have shown promising properties such as ion selectivity and permeability, and have found applications in selective ion transport, energy conversion, biomolecular separation, and detection. In this article, recent advances in these hierarchically engineered nanochannel systems are reviewed, with a focus on pore-on-pore and pore-in-pore structures, and their potential applications are discussed.
NPG ASIA MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Seung Eun Lee, Kyoung-Yong Chun, Jongwoon Kim, Sunghwan Jo, Chang -Soo Han
Summary: The fabrication of advanced membranes with simultaneously high electron and proton conductivities has been achieved through the thermal reduction and vertical confinement of graphene oxide (GO) channels. The improvement in electron conductivity is due to the removal of oxygen functional groups, while the extremely reduced channel size allows for selective proton transport and improved proton selectivity.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biology
SeCheol Oh, Fabrizio Marinelli, Wenchang Zhou, Jooyeon Lee, Ho Jeong Choi, Min Kim, Jose D. Faraldo-Gomez, Richard K. Hite
Summary: Structures and simulations reveal the unique permeation mechanism of the human lysosomal K+ channel transmembrane protein 175 (TMEM175), which lacks the canonical K+ selectivity filter. Despite the absence of a selectivity filter, TMEM175 is selective for K+ over Na+ due to a narrow hydrophobic constriction and a favorable electrostatic field.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Linsen Yang, Pei Liu, Congcong Zhu, Yuanyuan Zhao, Miaomiao Yuan, Xiang-Yu Kong, Liping Wen, Lei Jiang
Summary: A composite nanochannel system was fabricated in this study, showing high-performance unidirectional rectification in a wide pH range, with a theoretical simulation model built based on the system. Rectification mapping provided insights into the relationship between charge distribution and ions transport properties, aiding the design of new materials, such as high-performance membranes.
CHINESE CHEMICAL LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Xiaodong Huang, Jinhui Pang, Teng Zhou, Lei Jiang, Liping Wen
Summary: Ion conduction in nanoscale ion channels plays a crucial role in many biological processes, and artificial nanochannels inspired by biological channels have shown potential in salinity gradient power generation. In this study, SPES membranes with adjustable nanochannel structures demonstrated excellent ion transport properties and were able to achieve high power densities in salinity gradient power generation applications.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Jin Wang, Sensen Liu, Shuchang Zheng, Shangzhen Li, Di Wang, Miaolu He, Lei Wang, Xudong Wang
Summary: The exceptional ion release and storage ability of biological ion channels have attracted significant attention for various life activities. This study presented the ion transport behavior in a vertically-oriented three-sectional Ti3C2Tx membrane with asymmetric charge distribution. By grafting silane molecules onto the surface, the surface charge polarity of the Ti3C2Tx nanosheet was changed, leading to a diode-like ion transport property in the heterogenous membrane. Numerical simulations based on PNP equations showed that the directional ion diffusion was attributed to ion accumulation and depletion in the nanochannels under different potential biases. The heterogenous membrane also showed potential in desalination and ion storage applications.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Xiangyang Liu, Xiaotong Zong, Sa Xue, Hui Liu, Maogang He
Summary: This study investigates the transport of ionic liquids in nanochannels using molecular dynamic simulation, finding that coating graphene can enhance layering effect, reduce diffusion coefficient, and improve transport speed.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Zhang Xie, Shaoqian Hao, Wenyuan Wang, Jianlong Kou, Jintu Fan
Summary: Gas can be released from a nanochannel by tuning the direction of the external electric field, providing an important mechanism for gas-water separation.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Haiqi Gao, Jing Wang, Xirui Zhang, Mingao Hu, Qinghao Xu, Yannan Xie, Yuzhen Liu, Ruifeng Lu
Summary: The study reveals that the stability of graphene channels depends on its layered structure and height, with water permeability increasing with channel height and water viscosity decreasing. These findings are crucial for the future development of graphene membranes.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yangjun Cui, Haowei Guo, Xiaoqing Yan, Wenyuan Zhou, Qing Ye, Cuifeng Ying, Zhibo Liu, Jianguo Tian
Summary: Two-dimensional material nanochannels with molecular-scale confinement can be constructed by Van der Waals assembly and show unexpected fluid transport phenomena. The crystal structure of the channel surface plays a key role in controlling fluid transportation, and many strange properties are explored in these confined channels. By using black phosphorus as the channel surface, ion transport along a specific crystal orientation can be enabled, resulting in significant nonlinear and anisotropic ion transport phenomenon in the black phosphorus nanochannels. Theoretical results reveal an anisotropy of ion transport energy barrier on the black phosphorus surface, which affects the electrophoretic and electroosmotic transport of ions in the channel. This anisotropic transport may provide new approaches to controlling the transport of fluids.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
D. Manikandan, Pramoda K. K. Nayak
Summary: The stacking of nanochannels in an array is a promising method for scaling nanoscale phenomena to large-scale systems. However, the scalability of single-nanochannel transport characteristics to a large-scale system is limited due to interchannel communications. This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to explore the communication between nanochannels in an array and reveals distinct communication patterns in different regions.
ACS APPLIED NANO MATERIALS
(2023)