Designing next-generation fuel cell and filtration devices requires the development of nanoporous materials that allow rapid and reversible uptake and directed transport of water molecules. Here, we combine neutron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations to demonstrate rapid transport of molecular H₂O through nanometer-sized voids ordered within the layers of crystalline carbon nitride with a polytriazine imide structure. The transport mechanism involves a sequence of molecular orientation reversals directed by hydrogen-bonding interactions as the neutral molecules traverse the interlayer gap and pass through the intralayer voids that show similarities with the transport of water through transmembrane aquaporin channels in biological systems. The results suggest that nanoporous layered carbon nitrides can be useful for developing high-performance membranes.

设计下一代燃料电池和过滤装置需要开发纳米多孔材料，以实现水分子的快速、可逆吸收和定向运输。在这里，我们结合中子能谱和第一原理计算来证明分子 H ₂ O 通过具有聚三嗪酰亚胺结构的结晶碳氮化物层内有序的纳米尺寸空隙的快速传输。当中性分子穿过层间间隙并穿过层内空隙时，传输机制涉及由氢键相互作用引导的一系列分子取向反转，这与生物系统中水通过跨膜水通道蛋白通道的传输相似。结果表明，纳米多孔层状氮化碳可用于开发高性能膜。