Dynamic Sub-Nanoscale "Water Fingers" in Interfacial Polymerization.

ABSTRACT: Interfacial polymerization (IP) is widely used to fabricate high-performance membranes, yet the molecular-level dynamics that govern monomer transport across liquid-liquid interfaces remain poorly understood. Here it is reported that sub-nanoscale "water fingers"-transient chains of water molecules-modulate the interfacial behavior of amine monomers during IP, dictating the structure and performance of the resulting polyamide films. Using molecular dynamics simulations of archetypal membrane-forming systems (m-phenylenediamine (MPD)-trimesoyl chloride (TMC) for reverse osmosis and piperazine (PIP)-TMC for nanofiltration), it is revealed that water fingers differentially stabilize monomer transport across the aqueous-organic interface, correlating with experimentally observed disparities in

SUBMITTER: Mai Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12372459 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature