CAS Key Laboratory of Soft Matter Chemistry, Collaborative Innovation Centre of Chemistry for Energy Materials, Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
Advanced Materials and Membrane Technology Centre, Department of Polymer and Process Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, G.T. Road, Lahore, 54890, Pakistan.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2019 Sep 2;58(36):12646-12654. doi: 10.1002/anie.201905972. Epub 2019 Aug 2.
Artificial counterparts of conical-shaped transmembrane protein channels are of interest in biomedical sciences for biomolecule detection and selective ion permeation based on ionic size and/or charge differences. However, industrial-scale applications such as seawater desalination, separation of mono- from divalent cations, and treatment of highly-saline industrial waste effluents are still big challenges for such biomimetic channels. A simple monomer seeding experimental approach is used to grow ionically conductive biomimetic charged nanocone pores at the surface of an acid-functionalized membrane. These readily scalable nanocone membranes enable ultra-fast cation permeation (Na =8.4× vs. Mg =1.4×) and high ion charge selectivity (Na /Mg =6×) compared to the commercial state-of-the-art permselective membrane (CSO, Selemion, Japan) owing to negligible surface resistance and positively charged conical pore walls.
锥形跨膜蛋白通道的人工对应物在生物医学科学中引起了关注，可用于基于离子大小和/或电荷差异的生物分子检测和选择性离子渗透。然而，海水淡化、单价和二价阳离子的分离以及高盐工业废水处理等工业规模应用仍然是此类仿生通道的巨大挑战。使用简单的单体接种实验方法，在酸功能化膜的表面上生长离子导电仿生带电纳米锥形孔。与商业最先进的选择性渗透膜（CSO、Selemion、日本）相比，这些易于扩展的纳米锥形膜能够实现超快阳离子渗透（Na =8.4×vs.Mg =1.4×）和高离子电荷选择性（Na /Mg =6×），这是由于其表面电阻可忽略不计且锥形孔壁带正电荷。
