writer：Yongchao Qian, Yadong Wu, Shuai Qiu, Xiang-Yu Kong,* Wei Tian,* Lei Jiang, and Liping Wen*
keywords：Crown Ether, Hydrogen Bond Networks, Ion Selectivity, Proton Transport
source：期刊
specific source：Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2023, 62, e202300167
Issue time：2023年

      Biological proton channels play important roles in the delicate metabolism process, and have led to great interest in mimicking selective proton transport. Herein, we designed a bioinspired proton transport membrane by incorporating flexible 14-crown-4 (14C4) units into rigid frameworks of polyimine films by an interfacial Schiff base reaction. The Young’s modulus of the membrane reaches about 8.2 GPa. The 14C4 units could grab water, thereby forming hydrogen bond-water networks and acting as jumping sites to lower the energy barrier of proton transport. The molecular chains present a vertical orientation to the membrane, and the ions travel between the quasi-planar molecular sheets. Furthermore, the 14C4 moieties could bond alkali ions through host–guest interactions. Thus, the ion conductance follows H⁺ >>K⁺>Na⁺ >Li⁺, and an ultrahigh selectivity of H⁺/Li⁺ (ca. 215) is obtained. This study provides an effective avenue for developing ion-selective membranes by embedding macrocycle motifs with inherent cavities.

全文链接：https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202300167