Porous organic cages as synthetic water channels.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33004793.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-020-18639-7 and PMC identifier 7530991.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Nature has protein channels (e.g., aquaporins) that preferentially transport water molecules while rejecting even the smallest hydrated ions. Aspirations to create robust synthetic counterparts have led to the development of a few one-dimensional channels. However, replicating the performance of the protein channels in these synthetic water channels remains a challenge. In addition, the dimensionality of the synthetic water channels also imposes engineering difficulties to align them in membranes. Here we show that zero-dimensional porous organic cages (POCs) with nanoscale pores can effectively reject small cations and anions while allowing fast water permeation (ca. 10<sup>9</sup> water molecules per second) on the same magnitude as that of aquaporins. Water molecules are found to preferentially flow in single-file, branched chains within the POCs. This work widens the choice of water channel morphologies for water desalination applications.