The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic

Water channels are one of the key pillars driving the development of next-generation desalination and water treatment membranes. Over the past two decades, the rise of nanotechnology has brought together an abundance of multifunctional nanochannels that are poised to reinvent separation membranes wi...

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Main Authors: Lim, Yu Jie, Goh, Kunli, Wang, Rong
Other Authors: School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2022
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Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10356/162793
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Institution: Nanyang Technological University
Language: English
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spelling sg-ntu-dr.10356-1627932022-11-12T23:31:42Z The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic Lim, Yu Jie Goh, Kunli Wang, Rong School of Civil and Environmental Engineering Interdisciplinary Graduate School (IGS) Nanyang Environment and Water Research Institute Singapore Membrane Technology Centre Engineering::Environmental engineering Membrane Designs Physicochemical Methods Water channels are one of the key pillars driving the development of next-generation desalination and water treatment membranes. Over the past two decades, the rise of nanotechnology has brought together an abundance of multifunctional nanochannels that are poised to reinvent separation membranes with performances exceeding those of state-of-the-art polymeric membranes within the water-energy nexus. Today, these water nanochannels can be broadly categorized into biological, biomimetic and synthetic, owing to their different natures, physicochemical properties and methods for membrane nanoarchitectonics. Furthermore, against the backdrop of different separation mechanisms, different types of nanochannel exhibit unique merits and limitations, which determine their usability and suitability for different membrane designs. Herein, this review outlines the progress of a comprehensive amount of nanochannels, which include aquaporins, pillar[5]arenes, I-quartets, different types of nanotubes and their porins, graphene-based materials, metal- and covalent-organic frameworks, porous organic cages, MoS2, and MXenes, offering a comparative glimpse into where their potential lies. First, we map out the background by looking into the evolution of nanochannels over the years, before discussing their latest developments by focusing on the key physicochemical and intrinsic transport properties of these channels from the chemistry standpoint. Next, we put into perspective the fabrication methods that can nanoarchitecture water channels into high-performance nanochannel-enabled membranes, focusing especially on the distinct differences of each type of nanochannel and how they can be leveraged to unlock the as-promised high water transport potential in current mainstream membrane designs. Lastly, we critically evaluate recent findings to provide a holistic qualitative assessment of the nanochannels with respect to the attributes that are most strongly valued in membrane engineering, before discussing upcoming challenges to share our perspectives with researchers for pathing future directions in this coming of age of water channels. National Research Foundation (NRF) Public Utilities Board (PUB) Published version This research grant was supported by the Singapore National Research Foundation under its Urban Solutions & Sustainability Program and administered by PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency (grant number: PUB-1801-0010). 2022-11-09T01:42:21Z 2022-11-09T01:42:21Z 2022 Journal Article Lim, Y. J., Goh, K. & Wang, R. (2022). The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic. Chemical Society Reviews, 51(11), 4537-4582. https://dx.doi.org/10.1039/d1cs01061a 0306-0012 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/162793 10.1039/d1cs01061a 35575174 2-s2.0-85131701785 11 51 4537 4582 en PUB-1801-0010 Chemical Society Reviews © 2022 The Royal Society of Chemistry. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported Licence. application/pdf
institution Nanyang Technological University
building NTU Library
continent Asia
country Singapore
Singapore
content_provider NTU Library
collection DR-NTU
language English
topic Engineering::Environmental engineering
Membrane Designs
Physicochemical Methods
spellingShingle Engineering::Environmental engineering
Membrane Designs
Physicochemical Methods
Lim, Yu Jie
Goh, Kunli
Wang, Rong
The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
description Water channels are one of the key pillars driving the development of next-generation desalination and water treatment membranes. Over the past two decades, the rise of nanotechnology has brought together an abundance of multifunctional nanochannels that are poised to reinvent separation membranes with performances exceeding those of state-of-the-art polymeric membranes within the water-energy nexus. Today, these water nanochannels can be broadly categorized into biological, biomimetic and synthetic, owing to their different natures, physicochemical properties and methods for membrane nanoarchitectonics. Furthermore, against the backdrop of different separation mechanisms, different types of nanochannel exhibit unique merits and limitations, which determine their usability and suitability for different membrane designs. Herein, this review outlines the progress of a comprehensive amount of nanochannels, which include aquaporins, pillar[5]arenes, I-quartets, different types of nanotubes and their porins, graphene-based materials, metal- and covalent-organic frameworks, porous organic cages, MoS2, and MXenes, offering a comparative glimpse into where their potential lies. First, we map out the background by looking into the evolution of nanochannels over the years, before discussing their latest developments by focusing on the key physicochemical and intrinsic transport properties of these channels from the chemistry standpoint. Next, we put into perspective the fabrication methods that can nanoarchitecture water channels into high-performance nanochannel-enabled membranes, focusing especially on the distinct differences of each type of nanochannel and how they can be leveraged to unlock the as-promised high water transport potential in current mainstream membrane designs. Lastly, we critically evaluate recent findings to provide a holistic qualitative assessment of the nanochannels with respect to the attributes that are most strongly valued in membrane engineering, before discussing upcoming challenges to share our perspectives with researchers for pathing future directions in this coming of age of water channels.
author2 School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
author_facet School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Lim, Yu Jie
Goh, Kunli
Wang, Rong
format Article
author Lim, Yu Jie
Goh, Kunli
Wang, Rong
author_sort Lim, Yu Jie
title The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
title_short The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
title_full The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
title_fullStr The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
title_full_unstemmed The coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
title_sort coming of age of water channels for separation membranes: from biological to biomimetic to synthetic
publishDate 2022
url https://hdl.handle.net/10356/162793
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