File(s) under permanent embargo
High and Stable Ionic Conductivity in 2D Nanofluidic Ion Channels between Boron Nitride Layers
journal contribution
posted on 2017-05-10, 00:00 authored by Alex QinAlex Qin, Dan LiuDan Liu, Guang Wang, D Portehault, C J Garvey, Y Gogotsi, Weiwei LeiWeiwei Lei, Ying (Ian) ChenYing (Ian) ChenAchieving a high rate of ionic transport through porous membranes and ionic channels is important in numerous applications ranging from energy storage to water desalination, but it still remains a challenge. Herein we show that ions can quickly pass through interlayer spaces in hydrated boron nitride (BN) membranes. Measurements of surface-charge governed ionic currents between BN nanosheets in a variety of salt solutions (KCl, NaCl and CaCl2) at low salt concentrations (<10-4 M) showed several orders of magnitude higher ionic conductivity compared to that of the bulk solution. Moreover, due to the outstanding chemical and thermal stability of BN, the ionic conduits remain fully functional at temperatures up to 90 °C. The BN conduits can operate in acidic and basic environments and do not degrade after immersing in solutions with extreme pH (pH ∼ 0 or 14) for 1 week. Those excellent properties make the BN ionic conduits attractive for applications in nanofluidic devices and membrane separation.
History
Journal
Journal of the American Chemical SocietyVolume
139Issue
18Pagination
6314 - 6320Publisher DOI
ISSN
0002-7863eISSN
1520-5126Publication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2017, American Chemical SocietyUsage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC