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Journal article
Water-Mediated Ion Selectivity in 2D MXene Channels
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Forthcoming
01 Jul 2026
PMID: 42387253
Featured in Collection : Drexel's Newest Publications
Abstract
At the Ångström scale, water confined between two-dimensional layers behaves fundamentally differently from bulk water; this behavior governs ion transport in natural and engineered nanofluidic systems, yet the mechanisms by which confined water mediates selective ion transport remain poorly understood. As classical descriptions of aqueous ion transport break down under extreme confinement, experimental studies often face challenges in controlling both nanoconfined structure and surface chemistry, limiting our ability to explain and predict water and ion behavior in subnanometer channels and membranes. Here, we show that 2D Ti
C
T
MXene nanosheets with precisely controlled interlayer spacing (0.9-5.0 Å), surface terminations, and electrode potentials provide a platform to systematically tune ion transport. Combined experimental measurements, including ion permeation, spatial secondary-ion mass spectrometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, together with molecular dynamics simulations, reveal that ultranarrow confinement reorganizes confined water, imposes ion-specific energetic penalties for dehydration, and modulates ion-MXene interactions. Li
permeation in horizontally aligned Ti
C
T
channels is 2 orders of magnitude faster than in conventional vertically aligned MXene membranes, while electrochemical surface charge modulation further regulates ion selectivity. These coupled effects of confinement, surface chemistry, and water-mediated energetics define a transport regime beyond classical diffusion, offering design principles for artificial ion channels and high-performance membranes for ion separation, water desalination, and sustainable water treatment technologies.
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Details
- Title
- Water-Mediated Ion Selectivity in 2D MXene Channels
- Creators
- Yuan Zhang - Drexel UniversityMing Chen - London BiofoundryTeng Zhang - Drexel UniversityTetiana Parker - Drexel UniversityDanzhen Zhang - Drexel UniversityRuocun Wang - Drexel UniversityHyunho Kim - Drexel UniversityPaweł Piotr Michałowski - Institute of MicroelectronicsAlexei Kornyshev - London BiofoundryYury Gogotsi (Corresponding Author) - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Journal of the American Chemical Society, Forthcoming
- Publisher
- ACS Publications
- Number of pages
- 10
- Grant note
- SIRA program: 4932 International RiC2D Grant: MX-INNOVATION OC077 Cotswold Foundation: 230629 Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung: Ref 3.1 - DEU - 1224901 - FLF-P National Science Centre, Poland: SONATA BIS 14 2024/54/E/ST11/00171 National Centre for Research and Development, Poland: LIDER XII LIDER/8/0055/L-12/20/NCBR/2021 National Science Foundation (NSF): CHE-2318105
The authors acknowledge Prof. Ekaterina Pomerantseva for providing access to ion chromatography facilities and Prof. Guang Feng for valuable discussions. The authors also thank Dr. Stefano Ippolito and Dr. Jongyoun Kim for assistance with atomic force microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. This research was supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation Grant CHE-2318105 (M-STAR CCI), the International RiC2D Grant: MX-INNOVATION - OC077, and the SIRA program, Grant ID: 4932. Y.Z. acknowledges the financial support from the Alexander von Humboldt Fundation (ref 3.1 - DEU - 1224901 - FLF-P) and Cotswold postdoctoral fellowship (230629). P.P.M. was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland, within SONATA BIS 14 2024/54/E/ST11/00171 and the National Centre for Research and Development, Poland, within LIDER XII LIDER/8/0055/L-12/20/NCBR/2021 projects.
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Materials Science and Engineering; A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001810487800001
- Other Identifier
- 991022193873904721