Illustration of fully solvated perchlorate ion (ClO4-) interacting with a cellulosic polymer chain. Numbers represent the net charges of the functional groups. Images adapted from C.L. Ritt et al., Sci. Adv. (2022).
Ion Selectivity
designing ion-selective materials require novel approaches
For water treatment purposes, ultraselective membranes can enable precise control over the makeup of permeate and brine streams for complex feed solutions. This level of control could enable more sustainable water treatment by tailoring the treatment to the desired end use and would substantially reduce chemical and energy consumption, ultimately lowering the treatment cost for water production. In addition, fit-for-purpose membranes could improve resource recovery efforts (e.g., lithium recovery), sensor devices, and proton selectivity in fuel cells and water electrolyzers.
During my PhD, I employed machine learning to reveal the importance of electrostatics for ion-ion selectivity in complex, nanoporous polymeric environments. Leveraging new data-driven approaches for studying ion transport may be an essential step toward designing ion-selective materials.