Multi-Asymmetric Ion-Diode Membranes with Superior Selectivity and Zero Concentration Polarization Effect

Biological ion channels exhibiting selective and rectified ion transport properties feature nanoscale asymmetries in their physical structure, chemical composition, and charge distribution. Inspired by this, a multi-asymmetric ion-diode membrane (IDM) having a heterojunction between a positively charged anodic aluminum oxide membrane with conical macropores and a negatively charged Nafion membrane with very narrow mesopores was designed and practically fabricated in this study. Experiments and theoretical calculations demonstrated that the proposed membrane has the highest selectivity among IDMs and provides complete suppression of the concentration polarization (CP) effect limiting the current density in ion-exchange membrane electrodialysis. These findings present direct evidence that the physical and chemical design of the channel structure can provide both superior selectivity and a zero CP effect to IDMs and practical fabrication methods of IDMs for diverse, promising membrane applications.