Separation of ions using polyelectrolyte-modified nanoporous track-etched membranes

Nanopores: synergy from DNA sequencing to industrial filtration - small holes with big impact

Nanopores in thin membranes play important roles in science and industry. Single nanopores have provided a step-change in portable DNA sequencing and understanding nanoscale transport while multipore membranes facilitate food processing and purification of water and medicine. Despite the unifying use of nanopores, the fields of single nanopores and multipore membranes differ - to varying degrees - in terms of materials, fabrication, analysis, and applications. Such a partial disconnect hinders scientific progress as important challenges are best resolved together. This Viewpoint suggests how synergistic crosstalk between the two fields can provide considerable mutual benefits in fundamental understanding and the development of advanced membranes. We first describe the main differences including the atomistic definition of single pores compared to the less defined conduits in multipore membranes. We then outline steps to improve communication between the two fields such as harmonizing measurements and modelling of transport and selectivity. The resulting insight is expected to improve the rational design of porous membranes. The Viewpoint concludes with an outlook of other developments that can be best achieved by collaboration across the two fields to advance the understanding of transport in nanopores and create next-generation porous membranes tailored for sensing, filtration, and other applications.

Recent advance in solid state nanopores modification and characterization

Nanopore, due to its advantages of modifiable, controllability and sensitivity, has made a splash in recent years in the fields of biomolecular sequencing, small molecule detection, salt differential power generation, and biomimetic ion channels, etc. In these applications, the role of chemical or biological modification is indispensable. Compared with small molecules, the modification of polymers is more difficult and the methods are more diverse. Choosing appropriate modification method directly determines the success or not of the research, therefore, it is necessary to summarize the polymer modification methods toward nanopores. In addition, it is also important to provide clear and convincing evidence that the nanopore modification is successful, the corresponding characterization methods are also indispensable. Therefore, this review will summarize the methods of polymer modification of nanopores and efficient characterization methods. And we hope that this review will provide some reference value for like-minded researchers.

Interphase Surface Stability in Liquid-Liquid Membrane Contactors Based on Track-Etched Membranes

A promising solution for the implementation of extraction processes is liquid–liquid membrane contactors. The transfer of the target component from one immiscible liquid to another is carried out inside membrane pores. For the first time, highly asymmetric track-etched membranes made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of the same thickness but with different pore diameters (12.5–19 nm on one side and hundreds of nanometers on the other side) were studied in the liquid–liquid membrane contactor. For analysis of the liquid–liquid interface stability, two systems widely diverging in the interfacial tension value were used: water–pentanol and water–hexadecane. The interface stability was investigated depending on the following process parameters: the porous structure, the location of the asymmetric membrane in the contactor, the velocities of liquids, and the pressure drop between them. It was shown that the stability of the interface increases with decreasing pore size. Furthermore, it is preferable to supply the aqueous phase from the side of the asymmetric membrane with the larger pore size. The asymmetry of the porous structure of the membrane makes it possible to increase the range of pressure drop values between the phases by at least two times (from 5 to 10 kPa), which does not lead to mutual dispersion of the liquids. The liquid–liquid contactor based on the asymmetric track-etched membranes allows for the extraction of impurities from the organic phase into the aqueous phase by using a 1% solution of acetone in hexadecane as an example.

Structure and dynamics of nanoconfined water and aqueous solutions

This review is devoted to discussing recent progress on the structure, thermodynamic, reactivity, and dynamics of water and aqueous systems confined within different types of nanopores, synthetic and biological. Currently, this is a branch of water science that has attracted enormous attention of researchers from different fields interested to extend the understanding of the anomalous properties of bulk water to the nanoscopic domain. From a fundamental perspective, the interactions of water and solutes with a confining surface dramatically modify the liquid's structure and, consequently, both its thermodynamical and dynamical behaviors, breaking the validity of the classical thermodynamic and phenomenological description of the transport properties of aqueous systems. Additionally, man-made nanopores and porous materials have emerged as promising solutions to challenging problems such as water purification, biosensing, nanofluidic logic and gating, and energy storage and conversion, while aquaporin, ion channels, and nuclear pore complex nanopores regulate many biological functions such as the conduction of water, the generation of action potentials, and the storage of genetic material. In this work, the more recent experimental and molecular simulations advances in this exciting and rapidly evolving field will be reported and critically discussed.

Construction of a Self-Assembled Polyelectrolyte/Graphene Oxide Multilayer Film and Its Interaction with Metal Ions

In this study, a composite multilayer film onto gold was constructed from two charged building blocks, i.e., negatively charged graphene oxide (GO) and a branched polycation (polyethylenimine, PEI) via layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly technology, and this process was monitored in situ with quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) under different experimental conditions. This included the differences in frequency (Δf) as well as the changes in dissipation to yield information on the absorbed mass and viscoelastic properties of the formed PEI/GO multilayer films. The experimental conditions were optimized to obtain a high amount of the adsorbed mass of the self-assembled multilayer film. The surface morphology of the PEI/GO multilayer film onto gold was studied with atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was found that the positively charged PEI chains were combined with the oppositely charged GO to form an assembled film on the QCM sensor surface, in a wrapped and curled fashion. Raman and UV-vis spectra also showed that the intensities of the GO-characteristic signals are almost linearly related to the layer number. To explore the films for their use in divalent ion detection, the frequency response of the PEI/GO multilayer-modified QCM sensor to the exposure of aqueous solutions solution of Cu²⁺, Ca²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Sn²⁺ was further studied using QCM. Based on the Sauerbrey equation and the weight of different ions, the number of metal ions adsorbed per unit area on the surface of QCM sensors was calculated. For metal ion concentrations of 40 ppm, the adsorption capacities per unit area of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Sn²⁺, and Ca²⁺ were found to be 1.7, 3.2, 0.7, and 4.9 nmol/cm², respectively. Thus, in terms of the number of adsorbed ions per unit area, the QCM sensor modified by PEI/GO multilayer film shows the largest adsorption capacity of Ca²⁺. This can be rationalized by the relative hydration energies.

Wetting-Induced Polyelectrolyte Pore Bridging

Active layers of ion separation membranes often consist of charged layers that retain ions based on electrostatic repulsion. Conventional fabrication of these layers, such as polyelectrolyte deposition, can in some cases lead to excess coating to prevent defects in the active layer. This excess deposition increases the overall membrane transport resistance. The study at hand presents a manufacturing procedure for controlled polyelectrolyte complexation in and on porous supports by support wetting control. Pre-wetting of the microfiltration membrane support, or even supports with larger pore sizes, leads to ternary phase boundaries of the support, the coating solution, and the pre-wetting agent. At these phase boundaries, polyelectrolytes can be complexated to form partially freestanding selective structures bridging the pores. This polyelectrolyte complex formation control allows the production of membranes with evenly distributed polyelectrolyte layers, providing (1) fewer coating steps needed for defect-free active layers, (2) larger support diameters that can be bridged, and (3) a precise position control of the formed polyelectrolyte multilayers. We further analyze the formed structures regarding their position, composition, and diffusion dialysis performance.

Bio-inspired incorporation of phenylalanine enhances ionic selectivity in layer-by-layer deposited polyelectrolyte films

The addition of a common amino acid, phenylalanine, to a Layer-by-Layer (LbL) deposited polyelectrolyte (PE) film on a nanoporous membrane can increase its ionic selectivity over a PE film without the added amino acid. The addition of phenylalanine is inspired by detailed knowledge of the structure of the channelrhodopsins family of protein ion channels, where phenylalanine plays an instrumental role in facilitating sodium ion transport. The normally deposited and crosslinked PE films increase the cationic selectivity of a support membrane in a controllable manner where higher selectivity is achieved with thicker PE coatings, which in turn also increases the ionic resistance of the membrane. The increased ionic selectivity is desired while the increased resistance is not. We show that through incorporation of phenylalanine during the LbL deposition process, in solutions of NaCl with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 mM, the ionic selectivity can be increased independently of the membrane resistance. Specifically, the addition is shown to increase the cationic transference of the PE films from 81.4% to 86.4%, an increase on par with PE films that are nearly triple the thickness while exhibiting much lower resistance compared to the thicker coatings, where the phenylalanine incorporated PE films display an area specific resistance of 1.81 Ω cm2 in 100 mM NaCl while much thicker PE membranes show a higher resistance of 2.75 Ω cm2 in the same 100 mM NaCl solution.

Layer-by-layer assembly in nanochannels: assembly mechanism and applications

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a versatile technology to construct multifunctional nanomaterials using various supporting substrates, enabled by the large selection freedom of building materials and diversity of possible driving forces. The fine regulation over the film thickness and structure provides an elegant way to tune the physical/chemical properties by mild assembly conditions (e.g. pH, ion strength). In this review, we focus on LbL in nanochannels, which exhibit a different growth mechanism compared to "open", convex substrates. The assembly mechanism in nanochannels is discussed in detail, followed by the summary of applications of LbL assemblies liberated from nanochannel templates which can be used as nanoreactors, drug carriers and transporting channels across cell membranes. For fluidic applications, robust membrane substrates are required to keep in place nanotube arrays for membrane-based separation, purification, biosensing and energy harvesting, which are also discussed. The good compatibility of LbL with crossover technologies from other fields allows researchers to further extend this technology to a broader range of research fields, which is expected to result in an increased number of applications of LbL technology in the future.

Construction of Self-Assembled Polyelectrolyte/Cationic Microgel Multilayers and Their Interaction with Anionic Dyes Using Quartz Crystal Microbalance and Atomic Force Microscopy

This study aimed to reveal the interaction between self-assembled multilayers and dye molecules in the environment, which is closely related to the multilayers' stable performance and service life. In this work, the pH-responsive poly (N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate) microgels were prepared by free-radical copolymerization and self-assembled with sodium alginate (SA) into multilayers by the layer-by-layer deposition method. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) results confirmed the construction of multilayers and the absorbed mass, resulting in a decrease in the frequency shift of the QCM sensor and the deposition of microgel particles on its surface. The interaction between the self-assembled SA/microgel multilayers and anionic dyes in the aqueous solution was further investigated by QCM, and it was found that the electrostatic attraction between dyes and microgels deposited on the QCM sensor surface was much larger than that of the microgels with SA in multilayers, leading to the release of the microgels from the self-assembled structure and a mass loss ratio of 27.6%. AFM observation of the multilayer morphology exposed to dyes showed that 29% of the microgels was peeled off, and the corresponding microgel imprints were generated on the surface. In contrast, the shape and size of the remaining self-assembled microgel particles did not change.

Flow through negatively charged, nanoporous membranes separates Li+ and K+ due to induced electromigration

Flow through negatively charged nanopores separates Li⁺ and K⁺ with selectivities of up to 70 and Li⁺ passages from 20% to above 100%. Remarkably, both the Li⁺/K⁺ selectivity and Li⁺ passage initially increase with flow rate, breaking the permeability/selectivity trade-off. Modelling demonstrates that flow through the membranes creates electric fields that retard transport of cations. Selectivity increases with flow rate because the K⁺ electromigration velocity exceeds its convective velocity, but for Li⁺ electromigration is weaker than convection. Modelling also shows the importance of controlling concentration polarization. With further work, related separations might provide highly pure Li salts for battery manufacturing.

Probing Polyelectrolyte Adsorption in Charged Nanochannels by Streaming Potential Measurements

It remains a great experimental challenge to obtain quantitative information on the polyelectrolyte (PE) behavior confined in charged nanoporous materials. Here, we propose an original approach using transverse streaming potential measurements (TSPMs), an efficient technique providing information on the electrical surface properties of nanoporous materials through the ζ-potential determination. We conduct TSPMs within the thin double-layer approximation on a model system composed of individual nanochannels, a nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane, filled with a well-known PE, sodium polystyrenesulfonate (NaPSS). We demonstrate that TSPMs can provide the AAO ζ-potential under different experimental conditions and monitor the PE penetration in AAO with positive or negative surface charge. On the positive surface, the PE irreversibly adsorbs, while it does not when the surface is negatively charged, indicating the electrostatic nature of the PE adsorption. In the context of experimental limitations to investigate PE behavior on concave surfaces, this study shows that the TSPM is suitable to extract quantitative information and can be exploited to gain an understanding of the PE adsorption and desorption in a confined medium.

Polyelectrolyte layer-by-layer deposition on nanoporous supports for ion selective membranes

This work demonstrates that the ionic selectivity and ionic conductivity of nanoporous membranes can be controlled independently via layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes and subsequent selective cross-linking of these polymer layers. LbL deposition offers a scalable, inexpensive method to tune the ion transport properties of nanoporous membranes by sequentially dip coating layers of cationic polyethyleneimine and anionic poly(acrylic acid) onto polycarbonate membranes. The cationic and anionic polymers are self-assembled through electrostatic and hydrogen bonding interactions and are chemically crosslinked to both change the charge distribution and improve the intermolecular integrity of the deposited films. Both the thickness of the deposited coating and the use of chemical cross-linking agents influence charge transport properties significantly. Increased polyelectrolyte thickness increases the selectivity for cationic transport through the membranes while adding polyelectrolyte films decreases the ionic conductivity compared to an uncoated membrane. Once the nanopores are filled, no additional decrease in conductivity is observed with increasing film thickness and, upon cross-linking, a portion of the lost conductivity is recovered. The cross-linking agent also influences the ionic selectivity of the resulting polyelectrolyte membranes. Increased selectivity for cationic transport occurs when using glutaraldehyde as the cross-linking agent, as expected due to the selective cross-linking of primary amines that decreases the net positive charge. Together, these results inform deposition of chemically robust, highly conductive, ion-selective membranes onto inexpensive porous supports for applications ranging from energy storage to water purification.

This work demonstrates that the ionic selectivity and ionic conductivity of nanoporous membranes can be controlled independently via layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolytes and subsequent selective cross-linking of these polymer layers.

Electrolyte Gradient-Based Modulation of Molecular Transport through Nanoporous Gold Membranes

Nanopores, and nanoporous materials in general, are interesting for applications in chemical and biomolecular transport as pore sizes are on the same scale as the dimension of many (bio)chemical species. Many studies have focused on either single pores or small arrays of cylindrical pores, which are convenient in terms of their amenability toward computational modeling of transport phenomenon. However, the limited overall porosity may inhibit transport flux as well as the eventual implementation of these materials as active separation elements. Inspired by its relatively high porosity, we have explored nanoporous gold (NPG) as a membrane across which small molecular species can be transported. NPG offers a random, bicontinuous pore geometry, while also being inherently conductive and readily amenable to surface modification-attributes that may be enabling in the pursuit of size- and charge-based approaches to molecular separations. NPG was fabricated via a free-corrosion process whereby immersion of Au-containing alloys in concentrated nitric acid preferentially dissolves the less noble metals (e.g., Ni, Cu). Average pore diameters of 50 ± 20 nm were obtained as verified under scanning electron microscopy. NPG membranes were sandwiched between two reservoirs, and the selective transport of chemical species across the membrane in the presence of an ionic strength gradient was investigated. The flux of small molecules were monitored by UV-vis absorption spectrometry and found to be dependent upon the direction and magnitude of the ionic strength gradient. Moreover, transport trends underscored the effects of surface charge in a confined environment, considering that the pore diameters were on the same scale as the electrical double layer experienced by molecules transiting the membrane. Under such conditions, the transport of anions and cations through NPG was found to depend on an induced electric field as well as ion advection. Further electrical and surface chemical modulations of transport are expected to engender increased membrane functionality.

Biomimetic heterogeneous multiple ion channels: a honeycomb structure composite film generated by breath figures

We design a novel type of artificial multiple nanochannel system with remarkable ion rectification behavior via a facile breath figure (BF) method. Notably, even though the charge polarity in the channel wall reverses under different pH values, this nanofluidic device displays the same ionic rectification direction. Compared with traditional nanochannels, this composite multiple ion channel device can be more easily obtained and has directional ionic rectification advantages, which can be applied in many fields.

The effect of guanidinium functionalization on the structural properties and anion affinity of polyelectrolyte multilayers

Poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) is chemically functionalized with guanidinium (Gu) moieties in water at room temperature. The resulting PAH-Gu is used to prepare polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) with poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) via layer-by-layer deposition. The polyelectrolyte (PE) adsorption processes are monitored real-time by optical reflectometry and a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Compared to the reference PSS/PAH PEMs, the PSS/PAH-Gu PEMs show a lower amount of deposited PE materials, lower wet thickness, higher stability under alkaline conditions and higher rigidity. These differences are rationalized by the additional Gu-SO3(-) interactions, also affecting the conformation of the PE chains in the PEM. The interactions between the PEMs and various sodium salts (NaCl, NaNO3, Na2SO4 and NaH2PO4) are also monitored using QCM-D. From the changes in the frequency, dissipation responses and supportive Reflection Absorption Infrared Spectroscopy it is concluded that Gu-functionalized PEMs absorb more H2PO4(-) compared to the Gu-free reference PEMs. This can be understood by strong interactions between Gu and H2PO4(-), the differences in the anion hydration energy and the anion valency. It is anticipated that compounds like the presented Gu-functionalized PE may facilitate the further development of H2PO4(-) sensors and ion separation/recovery systems.

Preparation of Chemically-Tailored Copolymer Membranes with Tunable Ion Transport Properties

Membranes derived from copolymer materials are a promising platform due to their straightforward fabrication and small yet tunable pore structures. However, most current applications of these membranes are limited to the size-selective filtration of solutes. In this study, to advance the utility of copolymer membranes beyond size-selective filtrations, a poly(acrylonitrile-r-oligo(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate-r-glycidyl methacrylate) (P(AN-r-OEGMA-r-GMA)) copolymer is used to fabricate membranes that can be chemically modified via straightforward schemes. The P(AN-r-OEGMA-r-GMA) copolymer is cast into asymmetric membranes using a nonsolvent induced phase separation technique. Then, the surface charge of the membrane is modified to tailor its performance for nanofiltration applications. The oxirane groups of the glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) moiety that line the pore walls of the membrane allows for both positively charged and negatively charged moieties to be introduced directly without any prior activation. Notably, the highly size-selective nanostructure of the copolymer materials is retained throughout the functionalization processes. Specifically, amine moieties are attached to the pore walls using the aminolysis of the oxirane groups. The resulting amine-functionalized membrane is positively charged and rejects up to 87% of the salt dissolved in a 10 mM magnesium chloride feed solution. Further modification of the amine-functionalized membrane with 4-sulfophenyl isothiocyanate results in pore walls lined by sulfonic acid moieties. These negatively charged membranes reject up to 90% of a 10 mM sodium sulfate feed solution. Throughout the modification scheme, the membrane permeability remains equal to 1.5 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1) and the rejection of neutral solutes (i.e., sucrose and poly(ethylene oxide)) is consistent with the membrane having a single well-defined pore diameter of ∼5 nm. The performance of the membrane as a function of ion valence number, solution pH, and ionic strength is investigated.

Mixed mosaic membranes prepared by layer-by-layer assembly for ionic separations

Charge mosaic membranes, which possess distinct cationic and anionic domains that traverse the membrane thickness, are capable of selectively separating dissolved salts from similarly sized neutral solutes. Here, the generation of charge mosaic membranes using facile layer-by-layer assembly methodologies is reported. Polymeric nanotubes with pore walls lined by positively charged polyethylenimine moieties or negatively charged poly(styrenesulfonate) moieties were prepared via layer-by-layer assembly using track-etched membranes as sacrificial templates. Subsequently, both types of nanotubes were deposited on a porous support in order to produce mixed mosaic membranes. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrates that the facile deposition techniques implemented result in nanotubes that are vertically aligned without overlap between adjacent elements. Furthermore, the nanotubes span the thickness of the mixed mosaic membranes. The effects of this unique nanostructure are reflected in the transport characteristics of the mixed mosaic membranes. The hydraulic permeability of the mixed mosaic membranes in piezodialysis operations was 8 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1). Importantly, solute rejection experiments demonstrate that the mixed mosaic membranes are more permeable to ionic solutes than similarly sized neutral molecules. In particular, negative rejection of sodium chloride is observed (i.e., the concentration of NaCl in the solution that permeates through a mixed mosaic membrane is higher than in the initial feed solution). These properties illustrate the ability of mixed mosaic membranes to permeate dissolved ions selectively without violating electroneutrality and suggest their utility in ionic separations.

Fabrication of nanofluidic diodes with polymer nanopores modified by atomic layer deposition

Surface charge distribution is a crucial factor for the ionic transport properties inside nanopores. Modifying the surface charge inside a single conical nanopore can greatly affect the rectification behavior of the ionic current through the nanopore and afford nanofluidic diodes. In this work, we describe a new method to fabricate nanofluidic diodes by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on conical track-etched nanopores. Thorough investigation of the ionic transport behavior through ALD-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET) nanopores is carried out. Our results demonstrate that ALD is a simple and effective method to modify the inner surface of the polymer nanopores for fabricating nanofluidic devices. In addition, we also investigate the stability of the ALD-modified nanopores, and the results suggest that the long-time stability could be compromised by high voltage applied along the nanopore.