1
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de Souza JP, Stone HA. Protein condensation regulates water availability in cells. Nature 2023; 623:698-699. [PMID: 37853191 DOI: 10.1038/d41586-023-03098-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2023]
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2
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Abstract
Water and other polar liquids exhibit nanoscale structuring near charged interfaces. When a polar liquid is confined between two charged surfaces, the interfacial solvent layers begin to overlap, resulting in solvation forces. Here, we perform molecular dynamics simulations of polar liquids with different dielectric constants and molecular shapes and sizes confined between charged surfaces, demonstrating strong orientational ordering in the nanoconfined liquids. To rationalize the observed structures, we apply a coarse-grained continuum theory that captures the orientational ordering and solvation forces of those liquids. Our findings reveal the subtle behavior of different nanoconfined polar liquids and establish a simple law for the decay length of the interfacial orientations of the solvents, which depends on their molecular size and polarity. These insights shed light on the nature of solvation forces, which are important in colloid and membrane science, scanning probe microscopy, and nano-electrochemistry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karina Pivnic
- School of Chemistry, The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Alexei A Kornyshev
- Department of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, W12 0BZ 2AZ London, United Kingdom
- Thomas Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Urbakh
- School of Chemistry, The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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3
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Aluru NR, Aydin F, Bazant MZ, Blankschtein D, Brozena AH, de Souza JP, Elimelech M, Faucher S, Fourkas JT, Koman VB, Kuehne M, Kulik HJ, Li HK, Li Y, Li Z, Majumdar A, Martis J, Misra RP, Noy A, Pham TA, Qu H, Rayabharam A, Reed MA, Ritt CL, Schwegler E, Siwy Z, Strano MS, Wang Y, Yao YC, Zhan C, Zhang Z. Fluids and Electrolytes under Confinement in Single-Digit Nanopores. Chem Rev 2023; 123:2737-2831. [PMID: 36898130 PMCID: PMC10037271 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.2c00155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/12/2023]
Abstract
Confined fluids and electrolyte solutions in nanopores exhibit rich and surprising physics and chemistry that impact the mass transport and energy efficiency in many important natural systems and industrial applications. Existing theories often fail to predict the exotic effects observed in the narrowest of such pores, called single-digit nanopores (SDNs), which have diameters or conduit widths of less than 10 nm, and have only recently become accessible for experimental measurements. What SDNs reveal has been surprising, including a rapidly increasing number of examples such as extraordinarily fast water transport, distorted fluid-phase boundaries, strong ion-correlation and quantum effects, and dielectric anomalies that are not observed in larger pores. Exploiting these effects presents myriad opportunities in both basic and applied research that stand to impact a host of new technologies at the water-energy nexus, from new membranes for precise separations and water purification to new gas permeable materials for water electrolyzers and energy-storage devices. SDNs also present unique opportunities to achieve ultrasensitive and selective chemical sensing at the single-ion and single-molecule limit. In this review article, we summarize the progress on nanofluidics of SDNs, with a focus on the confinement effects that arise in these extremely narrow nanopores. The recent development of precision model systems, transformative experimental tools, and multiscale theories that have played enabling roles in advancing this frontier are reviewed. We also identify new knowledge gaps in our understanding of nanofluidic transport and provide an outlook for the future challenges and opportunities at this rapidly advancing frontier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narayana R Aluru
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712TexasUnited States
| | - Fikret Aydin
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Daniel Blankschtein
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Alexandra H Brozena
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Menachem Elimelech
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut06520-8286, United States
| | - Samuel Faucher
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - John T Fourkas
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
- Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
- Maryland NanoCenter, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
| | - Volodymyr B Koman
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Matthias Kuehne
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Heather J Kulik
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Hao-Kun Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
| | - Yuhao Li
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Zhongwu Li
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Arun Majumdar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
| | - Joel Martis
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
| | - Rahul Prasanna Misra
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - Aleksandr Noy
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, California95344, United States
| | - Tuan Anh Pham
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Haoran Qu
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
| | - Archith Rayabharam
- Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences, Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712TexasUnited States
| | - Mark A Reed
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, 15 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut06520, United States
| | - Cody L Ritt
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut06520-8286, United States
| | - Eric Schwegler
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Zuzanna Siwy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Department of Chemistry, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine92697, United States
| | - Michael S Strano
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts02139, United States
| | - YuHuang Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
- Maryland NanoCenter, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland20742, United States
| | - Yun-Chiao Yao
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
- School of Natural Sciences, University of California Merced, Merced, California95344, United States
| | - Cheng Zhan
- Materials Science Division, Physical and Life Science Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California94550, United States
| | - Ze Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California94305, United States
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4
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Ritt CL, de Souza JP, Barsukov MG, Yosinski S, Bazant MZ, Reed MA, Elimelech M. Thermodynamics of Charge Regulation during Ion Transport through Silica Nanochannels. ACS Nano 2022; 16:15249-15260. [PMID: 36075111 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.2c06633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Ion-surface interactions can alter the properties of nanopores and dictate nanofluidic transport in engineered and biological systems central to the water-energy nexus. The ion adsorption process, known as "charge regulation", is ion-specific and is dependent on the extent of confinement when the electric double layers (EDLs) between two charged surfaces overlap. A fundamental understanding of the mechanisms behind charge regulation remains lacking. Herein, we study the thermodynamics of charge regulation reactions in 20 nm SiO2 channels via conductance measurements at various concentrations and temperatures. The effective activation energies (Ea) for ion conductance at low concentrations (strong EDL overlap) are ∼2-fold higher than at high concentrations (no EDL overlap) for the electrolytes studied here: LiCl, NaCl, KCl, and CsCl. We find that Ea values measured at high concentrations result from the temperature dependence of viscosity and its influence on ion mobility, whereas Ea values measured at low concentrations result from the combined effects of ion mobility and the enthalpy of cation adsorption to the charged surface. Notably, the Ea for surface reactions increases from 7.03 kJ mol-1 for NaCl to 16.72 ± 0.48 kJ mol-1 for KCl, corresponding to a difference in surface charge of -8.2 to -0.8 mC m-2, respectively. We construct a charge regulation model to rationalize the cation-specific charge regulation behavior based on an adsorption equilibrium. Our findings show that temperature- and concentration-dependent conductance measurements can help indirectly probe the ion-surface interactions that govern transport and colloidal interactions at the nanoscale─representing a critical step forward in our understanding of charge regulation and adsorption phenomena under nanoconfinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cody L Ritt
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michelle G Barsukov
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
| | - Shari Yosinski
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Mark A Reed
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511, United States
| | - Menachem Elimelech
- Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520-8286, United States
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5
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Alkhadra M, Su X, Suss ME, Tian H, Guyes EN, Shocron AN, Conforti KM, de Souza JP, Kim N, Tedesco M, Khoiruddin K, Wenten IG, Santiago JG, Hatton TA, Bazant MZ. Electrochemical Methods for Water Purification, Ion Separations, and Energy Conversion. Chem Rev 2022; 122:13547-13635. [PMID: 35904408 PMCID: PMC9413246 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Agricultural development, extensive industrialization, and rapid growth of the global population have inadvertently been accompanied by environmental pollution. Water pollution is exacerbated by the decreasing ability of traditional treatment methods to comply with tightening environmental standards. This review provides a comprehensive description of the principles and applications of electrochemical methods for water purification, ion separations, and energy conversion. Electrochemical methods have attractive features such as compact size, chemical selectivity, broad applicability, and reduced generation of secondary waste. Perhaps the greatest advantage of electrochemical methods, however, is that they remove contaminants directly from the water, while other technologies extract the water from the contaminants, which enables efficient removal of trace pollutants. The review begins with an overview of conventional electrochemical methods, which drive chemical or physical transformations via Faradaic reactions at electrodes, and proceeds to a detailed examination of the two primary mechanisms by which contaminants are separated in nondestructive electrochemical processes, namely electrokinetics and electrosorption. In these sections, special attention is given to emerging methods, such as shock electrodialysis and Faradaic electrosorption. Given the importance of generating clean, renewable energy, which may sometimes be combined with water purification, the review also discusses inverse methods of electrochemical energy conversion based on reverse electrosorption, electrowetting, and electrokinetic phenomena. The review concludes with a discussion of technology comparisons, remaining challenges, and potential innovations for the field such as process intensification and technoeconomic optimization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad
A. Alkhadra
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Xiao Su
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Matthew E. Suss
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel,Wolfson
Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel,Nancy
and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program, Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Huanhuan Tian
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Eric N. Guyes
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Amit N. Shocron
- Faculty
of Mechanical Engineering, Technion—Israel
Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Kameron M. Conforti
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - J. Pedro de Souza
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Nayeong Kim
- Department
of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, United States
| | - Michele Tedesco
- European
Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology, Wetsus, Oostergoweg 9, 8911 MA Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Khoiruddin Khoiruddin
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi
Bandung, Jl. Ganesha no. 10, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia,Research
Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha no. 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - I Gede Wenten
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Institut Teknologi
Bandung, Jl. Ganesha no. 10, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia,Research
Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha no. 10, Bandung 40132, Indonesia
| | - Juan G. Santiago
- Department
of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - T. Alan Hatton
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Martin Z. Bazant
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States,Department
of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States,
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6
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Goodwin ZAH, McEldrew MP, de Souza JP, Bazant MZ, Kornyshev AA. Gelation, Clustering and Crowding in the Electrical Double Layer of Ionic Liquids. J Chem Phys 2022; 157:094106. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0097055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the bulk and interfacial properties of super-concentrated electrolytes, such as ionic liquids (ILs), has attracted significant attention lately for their promising applications in supercapacitors and batteries. Recently, McEldrew et al. developed a theory for reversible ion associations in bulk ILs, which accounted for the formation of all possible Cayley tree clusters and a percolating ionic network (gel). Here we adopt and develop this approach to understand the associations of ILs in the electrical double layer at electrified interfaces. With increasing charge of the electrode, the theory predicts a transition from a regime dominated by a gelled or clustered state to a crowding regime dominated by free ions. This transition from gelation to crowding is conceptually similar to the overscreening to crowding transition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michael Patrick McEldrew
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Chemical Engineering, United States of America
| | - J. Pedro de Souza
- MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Chemical Engineering, United States of America
| | | | - Alexei A. Kornyshev
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College London Faculty of Natural Sciences, United Kingdom
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7
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Abstract
The structure of polar liquids and electrolytic solutions, such as water and aqueous electrolytes, at interfaces underlies numerous phenomena in physics, chemistry, biology, and engineering. In this work, we develop a continuum theory that captures the essential features of dielectric screening by polar liquids at charged interfaces, including decaying spatial oscillations in charge and mass, starting from the molecular properties of the solvent. The theory predicts an anisotropic dielectric tensor of interfacial polar liquids previously studied in molecular dynamics simulations. We explore the effect of the interfacial polar liquid properties on the capacitance of the electrode/electrolyte interface and on hydration forces between two plane-parallel polarized surfaces. In the linear response approximation, we obtain simple formulas for the characteristic decay lengths of molecular and ionic profiles at the interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Alexei A Kornyshev
- Department of Chemistry and Thomas Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, White City Campus, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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8
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Abstract
Nanopores lined with hydrophobic groups function as switches for water and all dissolved species, such that transport is allowed only when applying a sufficiently high transmembrane pressure difference or voltage. Here we show a hydrophobic nanopore system whose wetting and ability to transport water and ions is rectified and can be controlled with salt concentration. The nanopore we study contains a junction between a hydrophobic zone and a positively charged hydrophilic zone. The nanopore is closed for transport at low salt concentrations and exhibits finite current only when the concentration reaches a threshold value that is dependent on the pore opening diameter, voltage polarity and magnitude, and type of electrolyte. The smallest nanopore studied here had a 4 nm diameter and did not open for transport in any concentration of KCl or KI examined. A 12 nm nanopore was closed for all KCl solutions but conducted current in KI at concentrations above 100 mM for negative voltages and opened for both voltage polarities at 500 mM KI. Nanopores with a hydrophobic/hydrophilic junction can thus function as diodes, such that one can identify a range of salt concentrations where the pores transport water and ions for only one voltage polarity. Molecular dynamics simulations together with continuum models provided a multiscale explanation of the observed phenomena and linked the salt concentration dependence of wetting with an electrowetting model. Results presented are crucial for designing next-generation chemical and ionic separation devices as well as understanding fundamental properties of hydrophobic interfaces under nanoconfinement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake W Polster
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
| | - Fikret Aydin
- Quantum Simulations Group and Laboratory for Energy Applications for the Future, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551, United States
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.,Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Tuan Anh Pham
- Quantum Simulations Group and Laboratory for Energy Applications for the Future, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94551, United States
| | - Zuzanna S Siwy
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, United States
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9
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de Souza JP, Pivnic K, Bazant MZ, Urbakh M, Kornyshev AA. Structural Forces in Ionic Liquids: The Role of Ionic Size Asymmetry. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:1242-1253. [PMID: 35134297 PMCID: PMC9007453 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c09441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Ionic liquids (ILs) are charged fluids composed of anions and cations of different size and shape. The ordering of charge and density in ILs confined between charged interfaces underlies numerous applications of IL electrolytes. Here, we analyze the screening behavior and the resulting structural forces of a representative IL confined between two charge-varied plates. Using both molecular dynamics simulations and a continuum theory, we contrast the screening features of a more-realistic asymmetric system and a less-realistic symmetric one. The ionic size asymmetry plays a nontrivial role in charge screening, affecting both the ionic density profiles and the disjoining pressure distance dependence. Ionic systems with size asymmetry are stronger coupled systems, and this manifests itself both in their response to the electrode polarization and spontaneous structure formation at the interface. Analytical expressions for decay lengths of the disjoining pressure are obtained in agreement with the pressure profiles computed from molecular dynamics simulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Pedro de Souza
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Karina Pivnic
- School
of Chemistry, The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials
Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Martin Z. Bazant
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department
of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Michael Urbakh
- School
of Chemistry, The Sackler Center for Computational Molecular and Materials
Science, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 6997801, Israel
| | - Alexei A. Kornyshev
- Department
of Chemistry, Molecular Sciences Research Hub, Imperial College London, London, W12 0BZ 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Thomas
Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
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10
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de Souza JP, Chow CM, Karnik R, Bazant MZ. Nonlinear ion transport mediated by induced charge in ultrathin nanoporous membranes. Phys Rev E 2021; 104:044802. [PMID: 34781445 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.104.044802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Ultrathin membranes with nanoporous conduits show promise for ionic separations and desalination applications, but the mechanisms underlying the nonlinear ionic transport observed in these systems are not well understood. Here, we demonstrate how induced charge at membrane interfaces can lead to nonlinear ionic transport and voltage-dependent conductance through such channels. The application of an electric field on a polarizable membrane leads to induced charges at the membrane interfaces. The induced charges in turn are screened by diffuse charges in the electrolyte, which are acted upon by the electric field. For extremely thin membranes, the induced charge effect can be significant even for moderate applied voltages commonly used in experiments. We apply a continuum Poisson-Nernst-Planck model to characterize the current-voltage behavior of ultrathin membranes over a wide parameter space. The predictions of the model are compared to recent experiments on graphene and MoS_{2} membranes in an electric field. We expect the role of induced charge to be especially pronounced in the limit of atomically thin membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 25 Ames St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Chun-Man Chow
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 25 Ames St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
| | - Rohit Karnik
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 25 Ames St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.,Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA
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11
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Abstract
The electrostatic screening of charge in one-dimensional confinement leads to long-range breakdown in electroneutrality within a nanopore. Through a series of continuum simulations, we demonstrate the principles of electroneutrality breakdown for electrolytes in one-dimensional confinement. We show how interacting pores in a membrane can counteract the phenomenon of electroneutrality breakdown, eventually returning to electroneutrality. Emphasis is placed on applying simplifying formulas to reduce the multidimensional partial differential equations into a single ordinary differential equation for the electrostatic potential. Dielectric mismatch between the electrolyte and membrane, pore aspect ratio, and confinement dimensionality are studied independently, outlining the relevance of electroneutrality breakdown in nanoporous membranes for selective ion transport and separations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Amir Levy
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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12
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Li HK, Pedro de Souza J, Zhang Z, Martis J, Sendgikoski K, Cumings J, Bazant MZ, Majumdar A. Imaging Arrangements of Discrete Ions at Liquid-Solid Interfaces. Nano Lett 2020; 20:7927-7932. [PMID: 33079557 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The individual and collective behavior of ions near electrically charged interfaces is foundational to a variety of electrochemical phenomena encountered in biology, energy, and the environment. While many theories have been developed to predict the interfacial arrangements of counterions, direct experimental observations and validations have remained elusive. Utilizing cryo-electron microscopy, here we directly visualize individual counterions and reveal their discrete interfacial layering. Comparison with simulations suggests the strong effects of finite ionic size and electrostatic interactions. We also uncover correlated ionic structures under extreme confinement, with the channel widths approaching the ionic diameter (∼1 nm). Our work reveals the roles of ionic size, valency, and confinement in determining the structures of liquid-solid interfaces and opens up new opportunities to study such systems at the single-ion level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Kun Li
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ze Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Joel Martis
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Kyle Sendgikoski
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - John Cumings
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Arun Majumdar
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- Department of Photon Science, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, United States
- Precourt Institute for Energy, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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Levy A, de Souza JP, Bazant MZ. Breakdown of electroneutrality in nanopores. J Colloid Interface Sci 2020; 579:162-176. [PMID: 32590157 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2020.05.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Revised: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Ion transport in extremely narrow nanochannels has gained increasing interest in recent years due to unique physical properties at the nanoscale and the technological advances that allow us to study them. It is tempting to approach this confined regime with the theoretical tools and knowledge developed for membranes and microfluidic devices, and naively apply continuum models, such as the Poisson-Nernst-Planck and Navier-Stokes equations. However, it turns out that some of the most basic principles we take for granted in larger systems, such as the complete screening of surface charge by counter-ions, can break down under extreme confinement. We show that in a truly one-dimensional system of ions interacting with three-dimensional electrostatic interactions, the screening length is exponentially large, and can easily exceed the macroscopic length of a nanotube. Without screening, electroneutrality breaks down within the nanotube, with fundamental consequences for ion transport and electrokinetic phenomena. In this work, we build a general theoretical framework for electroneutrality breakdown in nanopores, focusing on the most interesting case of a one-dimensional nanotube, and show how it provides an elegant interpretation for the peculiar scaling observed in experimental measurements of ionic conductance in carbon nanotubes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Levy
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA; Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA.
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de Souza JP, Goodwin ZAH, McEldrew M, Kornyshev AA, Bazant MZ. Interfacial Layering in the Electric Double Layer of Ionic Liquids. Phys Rev Lett 2020; 125:116001. [PMID: 32975984 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.116001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Ions in ionic liquids and concentrated electrolytes reside in a crowded, strongly interacting environment, leading to the formation of discrete layers of charges at interfaces and spin-glass structure in the bulk. Here, we propose a simple theory that captures the coupling between steric and electrostatic forces in ionic liquids. The theory predicts the formation of discrete layers of charge at charged interfaces. Further from the interface, or at low polarization of the electrode, the model outputs slowly decaying oscillations in the charge density with a wavelength of a single ion diameter, as shown by analysis of the gradient expansion. The gradient expansion suggests a new structure for partial differential equations describing the electrostatic potential at charged interfaces. We find quantitative agreement between the theory and molecular simulations in the differential capacitance and concentration profiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Zachary A H Goodwin
- Department of Physics, CDT Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College of London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Thomas Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
| | - Michael McEldrew
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Alexei A Kornyshev
- Thomas Young Centre for Theory and Simulation of Materials, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
- Department of Chemistry, Imperial College of London, Molecular Science Research Hub, White City Campus, London W12 0BZ, United Kingdom
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
- Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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de Lichtervelde ACL, de Souza JP, Bazant MZ. Heat of nervous conduction: A thermodynamic framework. Phys Rev E 2020; 101:022406. [PMID: 32168602 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.101.022406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Early recordings of nervous conduction revealed a notable thermal signature associated with the electrical signal. The observed production and subsequent absorption of heat arise from physicochemical processes that occur at the cell membrane level during the conduction of the action potential. In particular, the reversible release of electrostatic energy stored as a difference of potential across the cell membrane appears as a simple yet consistent explanation for the heat production, as proposed in the "Condenser Theory." However, the Condenser Theory has not been analyzed beyond the analogy between the cell membrane and a parallel-plate capacitor, i.e., a condenser, and cannot account for the magnitude of the heat signature. In this work, we use a detailed electrostatic model of the cell membrane to revisit the Condenser Theory. We derive expressions for free energy and entropy changes associated with the depolarization of the membrane by the action potential, which give a direct measure of the heat produced and absorbed by neurons. We show how the density of surface charges on both sides of the membrane impacts the energy changes. Finally, considering a typical action potential, we show that if the membrane holds a bias of surface charges, such that the internal side of the membrane is 0.05Cm^{-2} more negative than the external side, the size of the heat predicted by the model reaches the range of experimental values. Based on our study, we identify the release of electrostatic energy by the membrane as the primary mechanism of heat production and absorption by neurons during nervous conduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aymar C L de Lichtervelde
- Department of Physical Chemistry & Soft Matter, Wageningen University, 6708 WG Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - J Pedro de Souza
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - Martin Z Bazant
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.,Department of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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Abstract
Aqueous electrolyte solutions containing multivalent ions exhibit various intriguing properties, including attraction between like-charged colloidal particles, which results from strong ion-ion correlations. In contrast, the classical Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory of colloidal stability, based on the Poisson-Boltzmann mean-field theory, always predicts a repulsive electrostatic contribution to the disjoining pressure. Here, we formulate a general theory of surface forces, which predicts that the contribution to the disjoining pressure resulting from ion-ion correlations is always attractive and can readily dominate over entropic-induced repulsions for solutions containing multivalent ions, leading to the phenomenon of like-charge attraction. Ion-specific short-range hydration interactions, as well as surface charge regulation, are shown to play an important role at smaller separation distances but do not fundamentally change these trends. The theory is able to predict the experimentally observed strong cohesive forces reported in cement pastes, which result from strong ion-ion correlations involving the divalent calcium ion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rahul
Prasanna Misra
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - J. Pedro de Souza
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
| | - Daniel Blankschtein
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- E-mail: (D.B.)
| | - Martin Z. Bazant
- Department
of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 25 Ames Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- Department
of Mathematics, Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, 182 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, United States
- E-mail: (M.Z.B.)
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