Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes
Janus membranes with unidirectional transport capacity have shown broad potential across various fields of mass–energy transmission and conversion. However, the underlying mechanisms driving this transport remain unclear. In this study, a three‐stage model—encompassing liquid intrusion, capillary we...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley-VCH
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Small Structures |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400470 |
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| author | Kai Li Hao‐Cheng Yang Hao‐Nan Li Chao Zhang Hong‐Qing Liang Zhi‐Kang Xu |
| author_facet | Kai Li Hao‐Cheng Yang Hao‐Nan Li Chao Zhang Hong‐Qing Liang Zhi‐Kang Xu |
| author_sort | Kai Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Janus membranes with unidirectional transport capacity have shown broad potential across various fields of mass–energy transmission and conversion. However, the underlying mechanisms driving this transport remain unclear. In this study, a three‐stage model—encompassing liquid intrusion, capillary wetting, and liquid transport—is proposed to elucidate the unidirectional liquid transport within Janus membranes. Finite element analysis reveals two key mechanisms: direct contact‐driven liquid intrusion in bilayer structures and surface‐energy‐driven intrusion in gradient structures. It is also demonstrated that capillary forces within the hydrophilic pores predominantly control the second stage, while droplet Laplace pressure dictates continuous liquid transport at the last stage. Furthermore, critical structural parameters that influence the transport process are identified, aligning with experimental observations. These findings lay a theoretical foundation for optimizing the Janus membrane structures and expanding their applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7f3ef760a8394976b0152fc10d075bfb |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2688-4062 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Wiley-VCH |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Small Structures |
| spelling | doaj-art-7f3ef760a8394976b0152fc10d075bfb2025-08-20T02:11:34ZengWiley-VCHSmall Structures2688-40622025-04-0164n/an/a10.1002/sstr.202400470Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus MembranesKai Li0Hao‐Cheng Yang1Hao‐Nan Li2Chao Zhang3Hong‐Qing Liang4Zhi‐Kang Xu5Key Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaKey Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaKey Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaKey Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaKey Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaKey Laboratory of Adsorption and Separation Materials & Technologies of Zhejiang Province MOE Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization Department of Polymer Science and Engineering Zhejiang University Hangzhou 310058 ChinaJanus membranes with unidirectional transport capacity have shown broad potential across various fields of mass–energy transmission and conversion. However, the underlying mechanisms driving this transport remain unclear. In this study, a three‐stage model—encompassing liquid intrusion, capillary wetting, and liquid transport—is proposed to elucidate the unidirectional liquid transport within Janus membranes. Finite element analysis reveals two key mechanisms: direct contact‐driven liquid intrusion in bilayer structures and surface‐energy‐driven intrusion in gradient structures. It is also demonstrated that capillary forces within the hydrophilic pores predominantly control the second stage, while droplet Laplace pressure dictates continuous liquid transport at the last stage. Furthermore, critical structural parameters that influence the transport process are identified, aligning with experimental observations. These findings lay a theoretical foundation for optimizing the Janus membrane structures and expanding their applications.https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400470capillary forcesJanus membranesLaplace pressuresthree‐stage modelunidirectional liquid transport |
| spellingShingle | Kai Li Hao‐Cheng Yang Hao‐Nan Li Chao Zhang Hong‐Qing Liang Zhi‐Kang Xu Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes Small Structures capillary forces Janus membranes Laplace pressures three‐stage model unidirectional liquid transport |
| title | Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes |
| title_full | Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes |
| title_short | Unveiling Unidirectional Transport within Janus Membranes |
| title_sort | unveiling unidirectional transport within janus membranes |
| topic | capillary forces Janus membranes Laplace pressures three‐stage model unidirectional liquid transport |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/sstr.202400470 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kaili unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes AT haochengyang unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes AT haonanli unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes AT chaozhang unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes AT hongqingliang unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes AT zhikangxu unveilingunidirectionaltransportwithinjanusmembranes |