Exploring anomalous nanofluidic transport at the interfaces

Abstract

Transport of ions and water is essential for diverse physiological activities and industrial applications. As the dimension approaches nano and even angstrom scale, ions and water exhibit anomalous behaviors that differ significantly from the bulk. One of the key reasons for these distinctive behaviors is the prominent influence of surface effects and related transport properties occurring at the interface under such (sub)nanoconfinement. Therefore, exploring nanofluidic transport at the interfaces could not only contribute to unraveling the intriguing ion and water transport behaviors but also facilitate the development of nanofluidic devices with tunable mass transport for practical applications. In this review, we focus on three crucial interfaces governing ion and water transport, namely liquid–gas interface, liquid–solid interface, and liquid–liquid interface, with emphasis on elucidating their intricate interfacial structures and critical roles for nanofluidic transport phenomena. Additionally, potential applications associated with liquid–gas, liquid–solid, and liquid–liquid interfaces are also discussed. Finally, we present a perspective on the pivotal roles of interfaces on nanofluidics, as well as challenges in this advancing field.