Critical Knowledge Gaps in Mass Transport through Single-Digit Nanopores: A Review and Perspective
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: Not all nanopores are created equal. By definition, nanopores have characteristic diameters or conduit widths between ∼1 and 100 nm. However, the narrowest of such pores, perhaps best called Single Digit Nanopores (SDNs) and defined as those with regular diameters less than 10 nm, have only recently been accessible experimentally for precision transport measurements. This Review summarizes recent experiments on pores in this size range that yield surprising results, pointing toward extraordinary transport efficiencies and selectivities for SDN systems. These studies have identified critical gaps in our understanding of nanoscale hydrodynamics, molecular sieving, fluidic structure, and thermodynamics. These knowledge gaps are, in turn, an opportunity to discover and understand fundamentally new mechanisms of molecular and ionic transport at the nanometer scale that may inspire a host of new technologies, from novel membranes for separations and water purification to new gas-permeable materials and energy storage devices. Here we highlight seven critical knowledge gaps in the study of SDNs and identify the need for new approaches to address these topics.
Authors: Samuel Faucher, Narayana Aluru, Martin Z. Bazant, Daniel Blankschtein, Alexandra H. Brozena, John Cumings, J. Pedro de Souza, Menachem Elimelech, Razi Epsztein, John T. Fourkas, Ananth Govind Rajan, Heather J. Kulik, Amir Levy, Arun Majumdar, Charles Martin, Michael McEldrew, Rahul Prasanna Misra, Aleksandr Noy, Tuan Anh Pham, Mark Reed, Eric Schwegler, Zuzanna Siwy, YuHuang Wang, Michael Strano
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Yale University, Northwestern University, Syracuse University, University of Minnesota, University of Florida, Rice University, University of Maryland, Fundacja na rzecz Nauki Polskiej, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Silesian University of Technology, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Office of Science, University of California, Irvine, Basic Energy Sciences, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
OpenAlex ID: W2947892074