Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation
Abstract Membrane nanofiltration (NF) has emerged as a prominent technology for efficient separations of ions, but state-of-the-art polyamide (PA) NF membranes are constrained by a pernicious tradeoff between water permeance and selectivity. This work conceives a versatile molecular engineering stra...
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| Format: | Article |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62376-8 |
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| author | Zhenxiang Pan Yalong Lei Tiange Yan Fuxin Zheng Yu Liao Jiang Zhan Tong Zhang Lu Shao Gang Han |
| author_facet | Zhenxiang Pan Yalong Lei Tiange Yan Fuxin Zheng Yu Liao Jiang Zhan Tong Zhang Lu Shao Gang Han |
| author_sort | Zhenxiang Pan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Membrane nanofiltration (NF) has emerged as a prominent technology for efficient separations of ions, but state-of-the-art polyamide (PA) NF membranes are constrained by a pernicious tradeoff between water permeance and selectivity. This work conceives a versatile molecular engineering strategy to simultaneously improve water permeance and co-cation selectivity through molecular construction of cationic triazolyl heterocyclic polyamide (CTHP) nanofilms via scalable interfacial polymerization. Experimental data and molecular simulations reveal that the CTHP structures precisely regulate the subnanometer pore architecture and binding affinity with water and ions, affording advanced size-sieving and Donnan exclusion while facilitating water partitioning and transport. The exemplified PA membrane exhibits ultrahigh divalent cation rejections of over 99% with a 9-fold increase in monovalent/divalent cation sieving selectivity relative to the pristine benchmark, exceptional water permeance, and good fouling resistance. The implemented molecular engineering strategy holds broad prospects for the rational design of high-performance polymeric membranes for sustainable and precision separations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e61a6c59e6344f4aa3b79d8714b0f2c4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e61a6c59e6344f4aa3b79d8714b0f2c42025-08-20T03:43:10ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-08-0116111310.1038/s41467-025-62376-8Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separationZhenxiang Pan0Yalong Lei1Tiange Yan2Fuxin Zheng3Yu Liao4Jiang Zhan5Tong Zhang6Lu Shao7Gang Han8College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityState Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Institute of TechnologyCollege of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Pollution Control, Nankai UniversityAbstract Membrane nanofiltration (NF) has emerged as a prominent technology for efficient separations of ions, but state-of-the-art polyamide (PA) NF membranes are constrained by a pernicious tradeoff between water permeance and selectivity. This work conceives a versatile molecular engineering strategy to simultaneously improve water permeance and co-cation selectivity through molecular construction of cationic triazolyl heterocyclic polyamide (CTHP) nanofilms via scalable interfacial polymerization. Experimental data and molecular simulations reveal that the CTHP structures precisely regulate the subnanometer pore architecture and binding affinity with water and ions, affording advanced size-sieving and Donnan exclusion while facilitating water partitioning and transport. The exemplified PA membrane exhibits ultrahigh divalent cation rejections of over 99% with a 9-fold increase in monovalent/divalent cation sieving selectivity relative to the pristine benchmark, exceptional water permeance, and good fouling resistance. The implemented molecular engineering strategy holds broad prospects for the rational design of high-performance polymeric membranes for sustainable and precision separations.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62376-8 |
| spellingShingle | Zhenxiang Pan Yalong Lei Tiange Yan Fuxin Zheng Yu Liao Jiang Zhan Tong Zhang Lu Shao Gang Han Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation Nature Communications |
| title | Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| title_full | Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| title_fullStr | Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| title_short | Molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance-selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| title_sort | molecular manipulation of polyamide nanostructures reconciles the permeance selectivity threshold for precise ion separation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62376-8 |
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