Tailoring bio-inspired nanochannels for separation and filtration processes

Membrane separation and filtration processes are increasingly being used to solve problems in the technical sciences, e.g., in desalination to create clean drinking water and in osmotic energy harvesting. One of the main problems associated with membrane separation is the selectivity-permeability trade-off. As the pores in a membrane become smaller, increasing the selectivity, the transport through them, and hence, their permeability decreases. Nanochannels found in biological systems are often more efficient than artificial ones. One difference is that biological channels often contain soft elements that may deform, while artificial channels are mostly rigid. Drawing on inspiration from nature, the project aims to gain a deeper theoretical understanding of nanoscale transport phenomena and how soft channel elements can be used to improve nanoscale transport and explore opportunities to optimize transport through nanochannels for technological applications.