Microporous membrane with ionized sub-nanochannels enabling highly selective monovalent and divalent anion separation.

Nat Commun

State Key Laboratories of Materials-Oriented Chemical Engineering, National Engineering Research Center for Special Separation Membranes, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing, 211816, China.

Published: August 2024

Membranes tailored for selective ion transport represent a promising avenue toward enhancing sustainability across various fields including water treatment, resource recovery, and energy conversion and storage. While nanochannels formed by polymers of intrinsic microporosity (PIM) offer a compelling solution with their uniform and durable nanometer-sized pores, their effectiveness is hindered by limited interactions between ions and nanochannel. Herein, we introduce the randomly twisted V-shaped structure of Tröger's Base unit and quaternary ammonium groups to construct ionized sub-nanochannel with a window size of 5.89-6.54 Å between anion hydration and Stokes diameter, which enhanced the dehydrated monovalent ion transport. Combining the size sieving and electrostatic interaction effects, sub-nanochannel membranes achieved exceptional ion selectivity of 106 for Cl/CO and 82 for Cl/SO, significantly surpassing the state-of-the-art membranes. This work provides an efficient template for creating functionalized sub-nanometer channels in PIM membranes, and paves the way for the development of precise ion separation applications.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11344077PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51540-1DOI Listing

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