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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Osmotic pressure control in response to a specific ion signal at physiological temperature using a molecular
1Department of Chemical System Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku 113-8656, Japan.
Abstract:
A molecular recognition gating ion membrane was prepared by graft copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and benzo[18]crown-6-acrylamide onto the pore surface of porous polyethylene film. This membrane captured Ba2+ with its crown ether receptors and generated osmotic pressure in response to Ba2+ autonomously and reversibly. However, the membrane never generated osmotic pressure in response to Ca2+. In addition, the concentration gradient of both the ion and other solute such as dextran could be used as the driving force; using a dextran concentration gradient, we can control the critical concentration and the duration time of the osmosis response.
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