Recent advances mean that arrays of nearly uniform cylindrical, conical and pyramidal shaped pores can be produced in several types of substrates. Surface modification of nanopore surfaces can give unique mass transport characteristics that have recently been explored for biomolecule separation, detection and purification. Recent interest has focused on the use of nanoporous membranes for mass transfer diodes that act analogous to solid-state devices based on electron conduction. Asymmetric pores such as conical pores can show superior performance characteristics compared to traditional cylindrical pores in ion rectification. However, many phenomena for membranes with asymmetric pores still remain to be exploited in biomolecular separation, biosensing, microfluidics, logic gates, and energy harvesting and storage.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2011.02.002 | DOI Listing |
Nano Lett
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials (iChEM), Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, P. R. China.
Osmotic power extracts electricity from salinity gradients and provides a viable route toward clean energy. To improve the energy conversion efficiency, common strategies rely on fabricating precisely controlled nanopores to meet the requirements of high ionic conductivity and selectivity. We report ion transport through the free-volume networks in stacked polymer nanospheres for osmotic power harvesting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLangmuir
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211816, People's Republic of China.
The remarkable flexibility in structural tunability and designability of poly(ionic liquids) (PILs) has garnered significant attention. Integration of PILs with membranes, novel properties, and functionalities is anticipated for applications in the fields of membrane separation. Here, we develop a facile method to prepare PIL-functionalized membranes in a one-step process by combining selective swelling-induced pore generation and ionic liquid functionalization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) serves as a crucial intervention for patients with severe pulmonary dysfunction by facilitating oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal. While traditional ECMO systems are effective, their large priming volumes and significant blood-contacting surface areas can lead to complications, particularly in neonates and pediatric patients. Microfluidic ECMO systems offer a promising alternative by miniaturizing the ECMO technology, reducing blood volume requirements, and minimizing device surface area to improve safety and efficiency.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China; International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China. Electronic address:
Harnessing ionic gradients to generate electricity has inspired the development of nanofluidic membranes with charged nanochannels for osmotic energy conversion. However, achieving high-performance osmotic energy output remains elusive due to the trade-off between ion selectivity and nanochannel membrane permeability. In this study, we report a homogeneous nanofluidic membrane, composed of sulfonated nanoporous carbon (SPC) and TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (T-CNF), engineered to overcome these limitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNanomaterials (Basel)
December 2024
Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), Institute of Chemical Engineering Sciences (ICE-HT), Stadiou Str., GR-265 04 Rio-Patras, Greece.
This work focuses on the incorporation of 2D carbon nanomaterials, such as graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs), into polypropylene (PP) via melt mixing. The addition of these 2D carbon nanostructured networks offers a novel approach to enhancing/controlling the water vapor permeable capabilities of PP composite membranes, widely used in industrial applications, such as technical (building roof membranes) or medical (surgical gowns) textiles. The study investigates how the dispersion and concentration of these graphene nanomaterials within the PP matrix influence the microstructure and water vapor permeability (WVP) performance.
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