Dynamic functionality-enabled fast and selective transport in nanochannels

Nanochannels capable of fast and selective mass transport are central to applications in energy, resources, biomedicine, and the environment. However, extreme nanoscale confinement, often coupled with rigid channel environments, imposes substantial frictional and adhesive barriers, causing sluggish transport and constrained selectivity. We identified nanochannel dynamics as a key to addressing these challenges by harnessing the intrinsic mobility (e.g., self-rotation) of confined functionalities to enhance molecular transport. Through a combination of experiments and simulations, we demonstrated that such dynamics reshape transport by promoting kinetic energy transfer and enabling more efficient molecular relays, thereby improving separation performance beyond current benchmarks. Our findings highlight the role of nanochannel dynamics in regulating mass transport under confinement and provide a framework for designing advanced nanochannel systems.