Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination
Abstract Innovations in self-assembly and aggregate engineering have led to membranes that better balance water permeability with salt rejection, overcoming traditional trade-offs. Here we demonstrate a strategy that uses multivalent H-bond interactions at the nano-confined space to manipulate contr...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57353-0 |
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| author | Gang Lu Hubao A Yuanyuan Zhao Yan Zhao Hengyue Xu Wentao Shang Xi Chen Jiawei Sun Huacheng Zhang Jun Wu Bing Dai Bart Van der Bruggen Raf Dewil Alicia Kyoungjin An Shuang Zheng |
| author_facet | Gang Lu Hubao A Yuanyuan Zhao Yan Zhao Hengyue Xu Wentao Shang Xi Chen Jiawei Sun Huacheng Zhang Jun Wu Bing Dai Bart Van der Bruggen Raf Dewil Alicia Kyoungjin An Shuang Zheng |
| author_sort | Gang Lu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Innovations in self-assembly and aggregate engineering have led to membranes that better balance water permeability with salt rejection, overcoming traditional trade-offs. Here we demonstrate a strategy that uses multivalent H-bond interactions at the nano-confined space to manipulate controllable and organized crystallization. Specifically, we design amphiphilic oligomers featuring hydrophobic segments with strongly polar end-capped motifs. When spreading on air/water interfaces, the hydrophobic parts repel water, yielding an ordered alignment of supramolecular oligomers under nano-confinement, while the strongly polar sections engage in strong hydrogen bonding and reconfigure to strongly interact with water molecules, enabling the controlled assembly and orientation of nano-confined crystalline domains. This arrangement provides dual benefits: refining the distribution of pore sizes for ultra-selectivity and boosting the free volume for water permeation. Compared to counterpart oligomers with weakly polar motifs, the optimized membrane with a 6-nm thickness demonstrates the water permeability of 14.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and extraordinary water/NaCl selectivity of more than 54 bar−1 under pressure-driven condition. This study sheds light on how nano-confined self-assembly and aggregate engineering affect the architectures, functionality, and performance of polymer membranes, emphasizing the promise of controllable crystallization in ultrathin membranes for optimal desalination. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-dd73446418334a9cb6901b586c4dbe8a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-dd73446418334a9cb6901b586c4dbe8a2025-08-20T01:57:51ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-03-0116111110.1038/s41467-025-57353-0Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalinationGang Lu0Hubao A1Yuanyuan Zhao2Yan Zhao3Hengyue Xu4Wentao Shang5Xi Chen6Jiawei Sun7Huacheng Zhang8Jun Wu9Bing Dai10Bart Van der Bruggen11Raf Dewil12Alicia Kyoungjin An13Shuang Zheng14School of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong KongState Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan UniversitySchool of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU LeuvenDepartment of Chemistry, Tsinghua UniversityEnergy and Electricity Research Center, International Energy College, Jinan UniversitySchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong KongSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong KongChemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT UniversityYantai Research Institute, Harbin Engineering UniversityGuangdong Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy (SZ), School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen UniversityDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU LeuvenDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU LeuvenSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong KongDepartment of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong KongAbstract Innovations in self-assembly and aggregate engineering have led to membranes that better balance water permeability with salt rejection, overcoming traditional trade-offs. Here we demonstrate a strategy that uses multivalent H-bond interactions at the nano-confined space to manipulate controllable and organized crystallization. Specifically, we design amphiphilic oligomers featuring hydrophobic segments with strongly polar end-capped motifs. When spreading on air/water interfaces, the hydrophobic parts repel water, yielding an ordered alignment of supramolecular oligomers under nano-confinement, while the strongly polar sections engage in strong hydrogen bonding and reconfigure to strongly interact with water molecules, enabling the controlled assembly and orientation of nano-confined crystalline domains. This arrangement provides dual benefits: refining the distribution of pore sizes for ultra-selectivity and boosting the free volume for water permeation. Compared to counterpart oligomers with weakly polar motifs, the optimized membrane with a 6-nm thickness demonstrates the water permeability of 14.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and extraordinary water/NaCl selectivity of more than 54 bar−1 under pressure-driven condition. This study sheds light on how nano-confined self-assembly and aggregate engineering affect the architectures, functionality, and performance of polymer membranes, emphasizing the promise of controllable crystallization in ultrathin membranes for optimal desalination.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57353-0 |
| spellingShingle | Gang Lu Hubao A Yuanyuan Zhao Yan Zhao Hengyue Xu Wentao Shang Xi Chen Jiawei Sun Huacheng Zhang Jun Wu Bing Dai Bart Van der Bruggen Raf Dewil Alicia Kyoungjin An Shuang Zheng Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination Nature Communications |
| title | Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination |
| title_full | Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination |
| title_fullStr | Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination |
| title_short | Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination |
| title_sort | nano confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra selective desalination |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-57353-0 |
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