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Bioinspired Nanofluidic Temperate Synthesis
Guandi He1,2, Xiqi Zhang1,3, Lei Jiang1,2,3,4,5
1Laboratory of Bio-Inspired Smart Interface Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, P. R. China.
Accounts of Chemical Research
|March 28, 2026
Summary
Bioinspired nanofluidic temperate synthesis utilizes precisely controlled nanochannels and catalytic sites to mimic enzymes, achieving high conversion and selectivity for green chemical reactions under mild conditions.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis and Green Chemistry
- Materials Science and Nanotechnology
- Bioinspired Engineering
Background:
- Developing efficient, selective, and green catalytic methods is crucial for synthetic chemistry.
- Existing nanoconfined catalysis systems lack precise control over channel dimensions, hindering room-temperature reactions and high yields.
- Enzymes offer a model for highly efficient, selective, and ultralow-energy-consumption (UEC) catalysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and validate the concept of bioinspired nanofluidic temperate synthesis for UEC reactions.
- To engineer nanochannels that mimic enzyme active sites for enhanced catalytic performance.
- To achieve high conversion and selectivity in flow reactions under mild conditions.
Main Methods:
- Designed nanofluidic systems with precisely controlled channel sizes (interlayer/pore dimensions) comparable to molecular scales.
- Incorporated tailored catalytic sites (Lewis/Brønsted acids/bases) and binding sites (graphitic domains, oxygen vacancies) onto channel walls.
- Utilized metal-organic framework (MOF) and graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes for experimental validation.
Main Results:
- Achieved stereoregulated polymerizations using MOF membranes with 1D nanochannels.
- Demonstrated high-performance flow reactions at ambient temperature using GO-based membranes, reaching ~100% conversion and ~100% selectivity for Knoevenagel condensation, esterification, and ring-opening reactions.
- Attained ~100% conversion and ~100% selectivity in acetate ester flavor synthesis and benzylamine coupling using transition metal oxide membranes.
Conclusions:
- Bioinspired nanofluidic temperate synthesis offers a transformative approach to sustainable flow synthesis.
- Engineered nanochannels effectively mimic enzyme functions, enabling efficient catalysis under mild, green conditions.
- Future work should focus on rational active site design, channel tuning, advanced characterization, and exploring novel photo-resonant reaction mechanisms.
