Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40055310›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Nano-confined controllable crystallization in supramolecular polymeric membranes for ultra-selective desalination.

Gang Lu, Hubao A, Yuanyuan Zhao, Yan Zhao, Hengyue Xu, Wentao Shang, Xi Chen, Jiawei Sun, Huacheng Zhang, Jun Wu and 5 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Gang LuSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. ganglu2-c@my.cityu.edu.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4247-2319
Hubao AState Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-5460-4058
Yuanyuan ZhaoSchool of Fashion and Textiles, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6119-3385
Yan ZhaoDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3660-4669
Hengyue XuDepartment of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4438-9647
Wentao ShangEnergy and Electricity Research Center, International Energy College, Jinan University, Guangdong, China.
Xi ChenSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6404-3614
Jiawei SunSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8549-4534
Huacheng ZhangChemical and Environmental Engineering, School of Engineering, RMIT University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5464-2947
Jun WuYantai Research Institute, Harbin Engineering University, Yantai, Shandong, China.
Bing DaiGuangdong Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy (SZ), School of Biomedical Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, PR China.
Bart Van der BruggenDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9913-2932
Raf DewilDepartment of Chemical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4717-5484
Alicia Kyoungjin AnSchool of Energy and Environment, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. alicia.kjan@ust.hk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0041-2817
Shuang ZhengDepartment of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. shuang.zheng@dpag.ox.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7175-8316

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Innovations in self-assembly and aggregate engineering have led to membranes that better balance water permeability with salt rejection, overcoming traditional trade-offs. Here we demonstrate a strategy that uses multivalent H-bond interactions at the nano-confined space to manipulate controllable and organized crystallization. Specifically, we design amphiphilic oligomers featuring hydrophobic segments with strongly polar end-capped motifs. When spreading on air/water interfaces, the hydrophobic parts repel water, yielding an ordered alignment of supramolecular oligomers under nano-confinement, while the strongly polar sections engage in strong hydrogen bonding and reconfigure to strongly interact with water molecules, enabling the controlled assembly and orientation of nano-confined crystalline domains. This arrangement provides dual benefits: refining the distribution of pore sizes for ultra-selectivity and boosting the free volume for water permeation. Compared to counterpart oligomers with weakly polar motifs, the optimized membrane with a 6-nm thickness demonstrates the water permeability of 14.8 L m

Identifiers

PMID40055310
PMCPMC11889199

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.