Polypyridine-Based Helical Amide Foldamer Channels: Rapid Transport of Water and Protons with High Ion Rejection |
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Authors: | Dr Jie Shen Dr Jingrong Fan Ruijuan Ye Dr Ning Li Prof Yuguang Mu Dr Huaqiang Zeng |
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Institution: | 1. The NanoBio Lab, 31 Biopolis Way, The Nanos, Singapore, 138669 Singapore;2. School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551 Singapore;3. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117585 Singapore |
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Abstract: | Synthetic strategies that enable rapid construction of covalent organic nanotubes with an angstrom-scale tubular pore remain scarcely reported. Reported here is a remarkably simple and mild one-pot polymerization protocol, employing POCl3 as the polymerization agent. This protocol efficiently generates polypyridine amide foldamer-based covalent organic nanotubes with a 2.8 nm length at a yield of 50 %. Trapping single-file water chains in the 2.8 Å tubular cavity, rich in hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, these tubular polypyridine ensembles rapidly and selectively transport water at a rate of 1.6×109 H2O?S?1?channel?1 and protons at a speed as fast as gramicidin A, with a high rejection of ions. |
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Keywords: | Foldamers helical structures hydrogen bonds nanotubes supramolecular chemistry |
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