Unidirectional ion transport in nanoporous carbon membranes with a hierarchical pore architecture

Lu Chen, Bin Tu, Xubin Lu (), Fan Li, Lei Jiang, Markus Antonietti and Kai Xiao ()
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Lu Chen: Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)
Bin Tu: National Center for Nanoscience and Technology
Xubin Lu: Lanzhou Jiaotong University
Fan Li: Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics
Lei Jiang: Beihang University
Markus Antonietti: Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Kai Xiao: Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech)

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The transport of fluids in channels with diameter of 1-2 nm exhibits many anomalous features due to the interplay of several genuinely interfacial effects. Quasi-unidirectional ion transport, reminiscent of the behavior of membrane pores in biological cells, is one phenomenon that has attracted a lot of attention in recent years, e.g., for realizing diodes for ion-conduction based electronics. Although ion rectification has been demonstrated in many asymmetric artificial nanopores, it always fails in the high-concentration range, and operates in either acidic or alkaline electrolytes but never over the whole pH range. Here we report a hierarchical pore architecture carbon membrane with a pore size gradient from 60 nm to 1.4 nm, which enables high ionic rectification ratios up to 104 in different environments including high concentration neutral (3 M KCl), acidic (1 M HCl), and alkaline (1 M NaOH) electrolytes, resulting from the asymmetric energy barriers for ions transport in two directions. Additionally, light irradiation as an external energy source can reduce the energy barriers to promote ions transport bidirectionally. The anomalous ion transport together with the robust nanoporous carbon structure may find applications in membrane filtration, water desalination, and fuel cell membranes.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24947-3

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