A covalent organic framework membrane with highly selective and permeable artificial sodium channels via ion recognition

Jing Wang, Junwei Zhang, Pengrui Jin, He Wen, Ziwen Dai, Hao Tan, Shushan Yuan (), Jiakuan Yang () and Menachem Elimelech ()
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Jing Wang: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Junwei Zhang: Yale University
Pengrui Jin: KU Leuven
He Wen: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Ziwen Dai: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Hao Tan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Shushan Yuan: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Jiakuan Yang: Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST)
Menachem Elimelech: Rice University

Nature Communications, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Biological sodium channels efficiently discriminate between same–charge ions with similar hydration shells. However, achieving precise ion selectivity and high throughput in artificial ion channel fabrication remains challenging. Here, we investigate angstrom–scale channels in 15-crown-5 (15C5) functionalized COF membranes for fast, selective ion transport. Due to crown ether recognition of sodium ions, channels in DHTA-Hz-15C5 membranes selectively facilitate Na+ transport, further enhanced by the hydroxyl-enriched COF skeleton. A Na+/K+ selectivity of 58.31 is achieved with 9.33 mmol m−2 h–1 permeance, significantly exceeding current membranes and resembling biological channels. Theoretical simulations indicate one–dimensional COF channels facilitate transport, while crown ether recognition makes the Na+ energy barrier significantly lower than K⁺, enabling ultrahigh selectivity with high Na⁺ permeability. This promotes COFs for efficient single-ion transport and advances crown ether ion selectivity in nano-restricted environments.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-62329-1

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