Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 17, 2025

Electrophoretic Crystallization of Ultrathin High-performance Metal-organic Framework Membranes
Published on: August 16, 2018
Confinement-Tuned Pore Chemistry via Molecular Engineering Enables High-Efficiency Water-Boron Selective Transport in
Jinlong He1,2, Yaxuan Yang1,2, Jishan Wu3
1Failure Mechanics and Engineering Disaster Prevention Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207, China.
Abstract:
Through molecular simulations and density functional theory, we explored a novel approach leveraging molecular engineering-tuned pore chemistry to create active pores in polyamide membranes, enabling exceptionally high-efficiency selective removal of neutral molecules such as boric acid from water. This approach aims to achieve supremely high-efficiency selective water-boric acid separation without sacrificing water permeation efficiency, delivering up to a 20-fold enhancement in selectivity along with a significant improvement in water permeance. To elucidate the underlying mechanism behind such exceptional efficiency, we systematically analyzed the transport properties of water and boric acid across polyamide membranes with pore chemistry precisely tailored through molecular engineering. Our simulations highlighted the pivotal role of pore chemical characteristics in governing molecular selective separation behavior. Specifically, the pore walls in polyamide membranes, characterized by enhanced electronegative attributes, effectively regulate water-membrane-boric acid interactions, diffusion behavior, and migration barriers, enabling efficient selective transport while maintaining high water permeance. These investigations provide molecular-level insights that inform the design and fabrication of next-generation high-performance polymer membranes with pore-chemistry-modulated properties for the separation of small neutral molecules.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Aquaporins
Dialysis
Pore Transport and Ion-Pair Transport
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...
Potentiometry: Membrane Electrodes
Ion Exchange

