Fig. 1

Biological inspiration and molecular design of highly selective and permeable water channels, their self-assembly, and translation to macroscale membranes. a Biological cell membranes (e.g., mangrove root cell membranes) are capable of efficiently and selectively transporting water. b, c This transport across membranes is mediated by transmembrane proteins including water channel proteins such as aquaporins (AQPs). d, e Artificial water channels, which have a similar hydrophobic outer surface and constrict to Angstrom-scale apertures at their narrowest points like AQPs, maintain high permeability and selectivity. f, g They also provide a route toward large-scale applications owing to their relatively simple synthesis and chemical and mechanical stability. With carefully designed self-assembly and membrane fabrication procedures, densely packed artificial water channel-based membranes provide molecular separation at the designed pore size while maintaining high permeability