Pressure-driven membranes is a widely used separation technology in a range of industries, such as water purification, bioprocessing, food processing and chemical production. Despite their numerous advantages, such as modular design and minimal footprint, inevitable membrane fouling is the key challenge in most practical applications. Fouling limits membrane performance by reducing permeate flux or increasing pressure requirements, which results in higher energetic operation and maintenance costs. Here we report a hydraulic-pressure-responsive membrane (PiezoMem) to transform pressure pulses into electroactive responses for in situ self-cleaning. A transient hydraulic pressure fluctuation across the membrane results in generation of current pulses and rapid voltage oscillations (peak, +5.0/-3.2 V) capable of foulant degradation and repulsion without the need for supplementary chemical cleaning agents, secondary waste disposal or further external stimuli. PiezoMem showed broad-spectrum antifouling action towards a range of membrane foulants, including organic molecules, oil droplets, proteins, bacteria and inorganic colloids, through reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and dielectrophoretic repulsion.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04942-4 | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Bioelectricity Laboratory, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697.
Loss-of-function sequence variants in , which encodes the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.1, cause Episodic Ataxia Type 1 (EA1) and epilepsy. Due to a paucity of drugs that directly rescue mutant Kv1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong 999077, China.
CO mineralization, a process where CO reacts with minerals to form stable carbonates, presents a sustainable approach for CO sequestration and mitigation of global warming. While the crucial role of water in regulating CO mineralization efficiency is widely acknowledged, a comprehensive understanding of the underlying mechanisms remains elusive. This study employs a combined experimental and atomistic simulation approach to elucidate the intricate mechanisms governing moisture-driven carbonation kinetics of calcium-bearing minerals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Center for Nutritional Sciences, Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611.
Documented worldwide, impaired immunity is a cardinal signature resulting from loss of dietary zinc, an essential micronutrient. A steady supply of zinc to meet cellular requirements is regulated by an array of zinc transporters. Deletion of the transporter Zip14 (Slc39a14) in mice produced intestinal inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Oncode Institute, Hubrecht Institute-Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Science, Utrecht 3584 CT, The Netherlands.
Matrigel/BME, a basement membrane-like preparation, supports long-term growth of epithelial 3D organoids from adult stem cells [T. Sato , , 262-265 (2009); T. Sato , , 1762-1772 (2011)].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
January 2025
Department of Biophysics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390.
Neurotransmitter release is triggered in microseconds by Ca-binding to the Synaptotagmin-1 C-domains and by SNARE complexes that form four-helix bundles between synaptic vesicles and plasma membranes, but the coupling mechanism between Ca-sensing and membrane fusion is unknown. Release requires extension of SNARE helices into juxtamembrane linkers that precede transmembrane regions (linker zippering) and binding of the Synaptotagmin-1 CB domain to SNARE complexes through a "primary interface" comprising two regions (I and II). The Synaptotagmin-1 Ca-binding loops were believed to accelerate membrane fusion by inducing membrane curvature, perturbing lipid bilayers, or helping bridge the membranes, but SNARE complex binding through the primary interface orients the Ca-binding loops away from the fusion site, hindering these putative activities.
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