Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41826735›Full record

ArticleNature materials2026

A nanoporous capacitive electrochemical ratchet for continuous ion separations.

Rylan Kautz, Alon Herman, Ethan J Heffernan, Keren Shushan Alshochat, Eden Grossman, Rahul Saxena, Camila Muñetón, David Larson, Joel W Ager, Francesca M Toma and 2 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Nature materials, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
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

12 authors.

Rylan Kautz *Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Alon Herman *School of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ethan J HeffernanDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
Keren Shushan AlshochatSchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0006-6743-3806
Eden GrossmanSchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-7566-4894
Rahul SaxenaSchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0009-8409-0587
Camila MuñetónDepartment of Chemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA.
David LarsonChemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Joel W AgerChemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9334-9751
Francesca M TomaChemical Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Berkeley, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2332-0798
Shane ArdoDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. ardo@uci.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7162-6826
Gideon SegevSchool of Electrical Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel. gideons1@tauex.tau.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6175-3458

Funding

EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) 101039804Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation) 5641National Science Foundation (NSF) CHE-2221599National Science Foundation (NSF) DGE-1321846U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) DE-SC0004993
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Directed ion transport in liquid electrolyte solutions underlies many phenomena in natural and industrial settings. While nature has evolved structures that drive continuous ion flow without Faradaic redox reactions, establishing this process in synthetic systems has been challenging. Here we report an ion pump that drives aqueous ions against a force using a capacitive ratchet mechanism independent of redox reactions. Modulation of an electric potential between thin metallic layers on either face of a nanoporous alumina wafer immersed in solution results in persistent voltages and ionic currents. This occurs due to the nonlinear capacitive nature of electric double layers, whose repeated charging and discharging sustains a continuous ion flux. Using this approach, we demonstrate ratchet-driven electrodialysis that reaches a 50% decrease in the conductivity of the solution in a dilution cell. These ratchet-based ion pumps can enable continuous desalination and selective ion separation using an electrically powered device with no moving parts.

Identifiers

PMID41826735

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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.