Porosity‐Controlled Eggshell Membrane as 3D SERS‐Active Substrate

We report on the fabrication of a surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) platform, comprised of a three‐dimensional (3D) porous eggshell membrane (ESM) scaffold decorated with Ag nanoparticles (NPs). Both native and treated ESM were used, where the treated ESM pore size and fiber crossing density was controlled by timed exposure to hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Ag NPs were synthesized in situ by reduction of silver nitrate with ascorbic acid. Our results demonstrate that H₂O₂‐treated Ag‐ESM provides a more densely packed 3D network of active material, which leads to consistently higher SERS enhancement than untreated Ag‐ESM substrates.     

Improving the Alkaline Stability of Imidazolium Cations by Substitution

Imidazolium cations are promising candidates for preparing anion‐exchange membranes because of their good alkaline stability. Substitution of imidazolium cations is an efficient way to improve their alkaline stability. By combining density functional theory calculations with experimental results, it is found that the LUMO energy correlates with the alkaline stability of imidazolium cations. The results indicate that alkyl groups are the most suitable substituents for the N3 position of imidazolium cations, and the LUMO energies of alkyl‐substituted imidazolium cations depend on the electron‐donating effect and the hyperconjugation effect. Comparing 1,2‐dimethylimidazolium cations (1,2‐DMIm⁺) and 1,3‐dimethylimidazolium cations (1,3‐DMIm⁺) with the same substituents reveals that the hyperconjugation effect is more significant in influencing the LUMO energy of 1,3‐DMIms. This investigation reveals that LUMO energy is a helpful aid in predicting the alkaline stability of imidazolium cations.     

Screening of bioactive compounds in Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati with hepatocyte membranes by HPLC and LC–MS

A new method employing HPLC, LC–MS, and hepatocyte membranes for the screening of bioactive compounds in traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) has been proposed. We hypothesized that exposure of the TCM extracts to hepatocyte membranes should decrease the concentration of membrane‐permeable compounds in the solution. Using this approach, the permeability of the compounds in Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati was investigated. By comparing chromatograms of samples prepared both before and after interaction with hepatocyte membranes, seven permeable compounds of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati were identified. Additionally, it was found that piceid, resveratrol, emodin‐8‐β‐d‐glucoside, physcion‐8‐β‐d‐glucoside, aloe‐emodin, emodin, and physcion combined specifically with hepatocyte membranes, which might indicate a useful approach for revealing the antiatherosclerotic effects of Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati. Therefore, the proposed method could be a good approach to predict the potential bioactivities of multiple compounds in TCMs simultaneously. Based on the significance of these results, this method could be a novel approach for identifying potentially bioactive components in other TCMs.     

十三氟辛基修饰的疏水有机-无机杂化二氧化硅膜孔结构、氢气分离及水热稳定性

采用1,2-双(三乙氧基硅基)乙烷(BTESE)和十三氟辛基三乙氧基硅烷(PFOTES)为前驱体,在酸性条件下通过溶胶-凝胶法制备了十三氟辛基修饰的有机-无机杂化SiO2膜材料。利用接触角测量、红外光谱、动态光散射和N2吸附等测试技术分别对膜材料的疏水性、溶胶粒径和孔结构进行表征,并深入研究有支撑膜材料的氢气渗透、分离性能以及长期水热稳定性。结果表明,十三氟辛基修饰后的膜材料由亲水性变成了疏水性,当nPFOTES/nBTESE=0.6时膜材料对水的接触角达到(110.4±0.4)°,膜材料还保持微孔结构,孔径分布在0.5~0.8 nm。氢气在修饰后的膜材料中的输运遵循微孔扩散机理,在300℃时,氢气的渗透率达到8.5×10-7mol·m-2·s-1·Pa-1,H2/CO2,H2/CO和H2/SF6的理想分离系数分别为5.49,5.90和18.36,均高于相应的Knudsen扩散分离因子。在250℃且水蒸气物质的量分数为5%水热环境下陈化250 h,氢气渗透率和H2/CO2的理想分离系数基本保持不变,膜材料具有良好的水热稳定性。     

Metal–Organic Framework Membrane Nanopores as Biomimetic Photoresponsive Ion Channels and Photodriven Ion Pumps

Biological ion channels and ion pumps with sub-nanometer sizes modulate ion transport in response to external stimuli. Realizing such functions with sub-nanometer solid-state nanopores has been an important topic with wide practical applications. Herein, we demonstrate a biomimetic photoresponsive ion channel and photodriven ion pump using a porphyrin-based metal–organic framework membrane with pore sizes comparable to hydrated ions. We show that the molecular-size pores enable precise and robust optoelectronic ion transport modulation in a broad range of concentrations, unparalleled with conventional solid-state nanopores. Upon decoration with platinum nanoparticles to form a Schottky barrier photodiode, photovoltage across the membrane is generated with “uphill” ion transport from low concentration to high concentration. These results may spark applications in energy conversion, ion sieving, and artificial photosynthesis.     

Tailoring A Poly(ether sulfone) Bipolar Membrane: Osmotic-Energy Generator with High Power Density

Osmotic energy, obtained through different concentrations of salt solutions, is recognized as a form of a sustainable energy source. In the past years, membranes derived from asymmetric aromatic compounds have attracted attention because of their low cost and high performance in osmotic energy conversion. The membrane formation process, charging state, functional groups, membrane thickness, and the ion-exchange capacity of the membrane could affect the power generation performance. Among asymmetric membranes, a bipolar membrane could largely promote the ion transport. Here, two polymers with the same poly(ether sulfone) main chain but opposite charges were synthesized to prepare bipolar membranes by a nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) and spin-coating (SC) method. The maximum power density of the bipolar membrane reaches about 6.2 W m⁻² under a 50-fold salinity gradient, and this result can serve as a reference for the design of bipolar membranes for osmotic energy conversion systems.     

Direct Derivation of Free Energies of Membrane Deformation and Other Solvent Density Variations From Enhanced Sampling Molecular Dynamics

We report a methodology to calculate the free energy of a shape transformation in a lipid membrane directly from a molecular dynamics simulation. The bilayer need not be homogeneous or symmetric and can be atomically detailed or coarse grained. The method is based on a collective variable that quantifies the similarity between the membrane and a set of predefined density distributions. Enhanced sampling of this “Multi-Map” variable re-shapes the bilayer and permits the derivation of the corresponding potential of mean force. Calculated energies thus reflect the dynamic interplay of atoms and molecules, rather than postulated effects. Evaluation of deformations of different shape, amplitude, and range demonstrates that the macroscopic bending modulus assumed by the Helfrich–Canham model is increasingly unsuitable below the 100-Å scale. In this range of major biological significance, direct free-energy calculations reveal a much greater plasticity. We also quantify the stiffening effect of cholesterol on bilayers of different composition and compare with experiments. Lastly, we illustrate how this approach facilitates analysis of other solvent reorganization processes, such as hydrophobic hydration. Published 2019. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.     

Molecular‐Sieving Membrane by Partitioning the Channels in Ultrafiltration Membrane by In Situ Polymerization

Commercial ultrafiltration membranes have proliferated globally for water treatment. However, their pore sizes are too large to sieve gases. Conjugated microporous polymers (CMPs) feature well‐developed microporosity yet are difficult to be fabricated into membranes. Herein, we report a strategy to prepare molecular‐sieving membranes by partitioning the mesoscopic channels in water ultrafiltration membrane (PSU) into ultra‐micropores by space‐confined polymerization of multi‐functionalized rigid building units. Nine CMP@PSU membranes were obtained, and their separation performance for H₂/CO₂, H₂/N₂, and H₂/CH₄ pairs surpass the Robeson upper bound and rival against the best of those reported membranes. Furthermore, highly crosslinked skeletons inside the channels result in the structural robustness and transfer into the excellent aging resistance of the CMP@PSU. This strategy may shed light on the design and fabrication of high‐performance polymeric gas separation membranes.     

Precise Size‐Selective Sieving of Nanoparticles Using a Highly Oriented Two‐Dimensional Supramolecular Polymer

The development of size‐selective membranes with well‐defined nanopores towards the precise separation of nanometer‐sized substances is a challenging task to achieve. Here a supramolecular membrane is presented that comprises a highly oriented, honeycomb‐like, 2D supramolecular polymer on a polycarbonate filter support. It enables precise size‐selective sieving of colloidal nanoparticles (NPs). Owing to the uniform parallel‐aligned nanocavities within the 2D supramolecular polymers, the composite membrane shows a high size‐selectivity with a sub‐nanometer accuracy in the cutoff size of about 4.0 nm. In principle, the species of size‐separable particles are unlimited, as demonstrated by quantum dots, noble metal, and metal oxide NPs. This supramolecular membrane combined with filtration advances the potential of NPs in terms of their monochromatic emission and size monodispersity, and also enables rapid removal of small magnetic NP adsorbents that are otherwise difficult to capture.