Colloquium: Ionic phenomena in nanoscale pores through 2D materials

Ion transport through nanopores permeates through many areas of science and technology, from cell behavior to sensing and separation to catalysis and batteries. Two-dimensional materials, such as graphene, molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), are recent additions to these fields. Low-dimensional materials present new opportunities to develop filtration, sensing, and power technologies, encompassing ion exclusion membranes, DNA sequencing, single molecule detection, osmotic power generation, and beyond. Moreover, the physics of ionic transport through pores and constrictions within these materials is a distinct realm of competing many-particle interactions (e.g., solvation/dehydration, electrostatic blockade, hydrogen bond dynamics) and confinement. This opens up alternative routes to creating biomimetic pores and may even give analogues of quantum phenomena, such as quantized conductance, in the classical domain. These prospects make membranes of 2D materials - i.e., 2D membranes - fascinating. We will discuss the physics and applications of ionic transport through nanopores in 2D membranes.