Confined gas transport in low-dimensional materials

Abstract

ABSTRACTGas transport under confinement exhibits a plethora of physical and chemical phenomena that differ from those observed in bulk media, owing to the deviations of continuum description at the molecular level. In biological systems, gas channels play indispensable roles in various physiological functions by regulating gas transport across cell membranes. Therefore, investigating gas transport under such confinement is crucial for comprehending cellular physiological activities. Moreover, leveraging these underlying mechanisms can enable the construction of bioinspired artificial nanofluidic devices with tailored gas transport properties akin to those found in biological channels. This review provides a comprehensive summary of confined gas transport mechanisms, focusing on the unique effects arising from nanoconfinement. Additionally, we categorize nanoconfinement spaces based on dimensionality to elucidate their control over gas transport behavior. Finally, we highlight the potential of bioinspired smart gas membranes that mimic precise modulation of transportation observed in organisms. To conclude, we present a concise outlook on the challenges and opportunities in this rapidly expanding field.

Keywords

• Nanofluidics
• gas transport
• transport mechanism
• low-dimensional materials
• smart membranes