ABSTRACT
Natural systems have evolved for millions of years to transport metabolites across cell membranes. Among them, Aquaporins (AQPs) are biological channels known for fast water transport with ion exclusion. AQPs can be mimicked using simpler artificial water channels (AWCs) to explore the naturally evolved water transport in artificial systems and to assess the basis for biomimetic desalination processes. Selective water translocation has been shown to depend on water wires spanning the pore that induce dipolar orientation. Toward this objective, AWCs combining a particularly broad range of self-assembling features including H-bonding, water recognition, and hydrophobic effects. This might play an important role in the ability to finely control the hydrophilic or hydrophobic constitutional domains of the channel responsible for selective recognition and high-water translocation, respectively. Then, densely packed AWCs incorporated within TFC polyamide membranes will lead to a greater fundamental understanding of how selective pores can be optimized at the nanoscale to facilitate ultrafast and highly selective transport of water for the treatment of saline feed streams. Future routes to robust desalination membranes including AWCs will solve pressing challenges, such as the stability, scalability, and fabrication of membrane for water desalination, ultrapure water production, as well as the storage of clean energy applications.
