Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025
10:28
Probing the Structure and Dynamics of Interfacial Water with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy and Spectroscopy
Published on: May 27, 2018
8.9K
Charge-induced proton penetration across two-dimensional clay materials
Le Shi1, Yushuan Gao1, Zhixuan Ying1
1State Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Power Equipment, Center of Nanomaterials for Renewable Energy, School of Electrical Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. le.shi@mail.xjtu.edu.cn.
Nanoscale
|April 14, 2022
Summary
Two-dimensional clay nanosheets show promise for high-temperature proton conduction. Negative surface charges significantly lower proton penetration barriers, enabling next-generation proton exchange membranes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Chemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Two-dimensional (2D) clay materials offer excellent thermal and chemical stability.
- Their unique atomic structure features intrinsic tubular channels potentially facilitating proton transport.
- A need exists for materials capable of proton conduction at high temperatures (100-500 °C).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the proton penetration mechanism in 2D clay nanosheets.
- To explore the impact of isomorphic substitutions and counterions on proton transport.
- To identify design principles for high-temperature proton exchange membranes.
Main Methods:
- Extensive *ab initio* molecular dynamics simulations.
- Metadynamics simulations were employed to analyze proton penetration pathways.
- Investigated 2D clay nanosheets with varying isomorphic substitutions and counterions.
Main Results:
- Negative surface charges dramatically reduce the proton penetration energy barrier by approximately two-thirds compared to neutral cases.
- Proton conductivity in single-layer clay materials can be effectively tuned through isomorphic substitutions.
- Identified specific structural features that enhance proton transport.
Conclusions:
- 2D clay materials are promising candidates for high-temperature proton exchange membranes.
- Surface charge engineering is a key strategy to optimize proton conductivity.
- Tailoring isomorphic substitutions offers a route to design advanced proton-conducting materials.
Related Concept Videos
01:27ATP Driven Pumps I: An Overview
8.7K
ATP-driven pumps, also known as transport ATPases, are integral membrane proteins. They have binding sites for ATP located on the membrane's cytosolic side and the ion-conducting domain in the transmembrane region. These pumps use the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis to move the solutes across cell membranes against an electrochemical gradient.
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
There are four main types of ATP-driven pumps - P-type, V-type, F-type, and ABC transporter. All these pumps are of varying complexities and...
8.7K
01:17Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
701
Pore transport and ion-pair formation are critical mechanisms for the absorption and distribution of drugs in the body.
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
Pore transport, also known as convective transport, is a process where small molecules like urea, water, and sugars rapidly cross cell membranes as though there were channels or pores in the membrane. Although direct microscopic evidence is limited but the concept of pores or channels is widely accepted based on physiological evidence. Despite the lack of direct...
701
03:13Intermolecular Forces
62.0K
Atoms and molecules interact through bonds (or forces): intramolecular and intermolecular. The forces are electrostatic as they arise from interactions (attractive or repulsive) between charged species (permanent, partial, or temporary charges) and exist with varying strengths between ions, polar, nonpolar, and neutral molecules. The different types of intermolecular forces are ion–dipole, dipole–dipole, hydrogen bonds, and dispersion; among these, dipole–dipole, hydrogen...
62.0K
01:18Patch Clamp
5.8K
Many fundamental cell functions such as muscle contraction and nerve transmission rely on the electrical signals produced by the movement of positively and negatively charged ions across the cell membrane. One competent method to record current flowing across the whole cell or single ion channel is the patch-clamp technique.
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
In this method, a glass micropipette containing electrolyte solution is tightly sealed against a small portion of the cell membrane. As a result, a patch of the cell...
5.8K
01:27π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Overview
1.2K
An applied magnetic field causes loosely bound π-electrons in organic molecules to circulate, producing a local or induced diamagnetic field over a large spatial volume. As the molecules tumble in solution, the field generated by π-electrons in spherical substituents results in a zero net field. However, the net field generated by π-electrons in non-spherical substituents is not zero. The effect of this induced field depends on the orientation of the molecule with respect to B0,...
1.2K