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An international team of scientists, including researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, has developed a groundbreaking membrane technology that can transport electrically charged molecules – known as ions – without the need for chemical reactions or moving parts. The findings, recently published in Nature Materials, represent a significant advance in fundamental electrochemistry and open new possibilities for energy-efficient water treatment.
Controlling the movement of ions through liquids is critical for many technological and biological processes. Conventional methods typically rely on energy-intensive electrochemical reactions. The newly developed membrane offers an alternative: it features ultra-thin metal layers on both sides of a porous support. When a low electrical voltage is rapidly switched on and off, the metal interfaces undergo charging and discharging processes that, due to slight imbalances, produce a controlled flow of ions. This is the first time such an effect has been harnessed for ion transport.
Breakthrough in Desalination Technology
To demonstrate the technology’s practical potential, the research team integrated the membrane into a compact desalination system that operates entirely without moving parts or chemical reactions. In laboratory tests, the system was able to reduce the salt content of water by 50% using very low voltages. These results highlight the membrane’s promise for developing highly energy-efficient water purification and desalination solutions.
The researchers also expect that the technology can distinguish between ions with identical electrical charges based on subtle differences in their behavior within an electric field. This could enable new approaches in lithium recovery from seawater, removal of heavy metals from drinking water, advanced battery recycling, and next-generation diagnostic and sensor technologies.
Strong International Collaboration
The project brought together experts in chemistry, materials science, electrical engineering, and biotechnology from the University of California, Irvine, Tel Aviv University, the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Prof Francesca Toma, head of the Hereon Institute of Functional Materials for Sustainability in Teltow and also affiliated with Berkeley Lab, was among the principal investigators who conceived the original concept of the study and played a key role in the study.
“This work introduces a new way to drive continuous ion transport in water by harnessing ratchet mechanisms in nanoporous materials. Beyond the fundamental insight, the concept may open new directions for more energy-efficient desalination and selective ion separations. It is especially meaningful to see an idea first developed years ago grow through international collaboration and perseverance into an impactful scientific contribution with technological potential”, said Toma about the research successes.
The work was supported by several major research funding organizations, including the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the European Research Council. The project underscores the importance of global scientific collaboration and demonstrates how interdisciplinary research can deliver solutions to challenges with high environmental and societal relevance.
Cutting-edge research for a changing world
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon’s scientific research aims at preserving a world worth living in. To this end, around 1000 employees generate knowledge and research new technologies for greater resilience and sustainability - for the benefit of the climate, the coast and people. The path from idea to innovation leads through a continuous interplay between experimental studies, modeling and AI to digital twins that map the diverse parameters of climate and coast or human biology in the computer. This is an interdisciplinary approach that spans from the fundamental scientific understanding of complex systems to scenarios and practical applications. As an active member of national and international research networks and the Helmholtz Association, Hereon supports politics, business and society in shaping a sustainable future by transferring the expertise it has gained.
Prof Francesca Toma
Head of Institute
Institute of Functional Materials for Sustainability
Tel.: +49 (0)3328 352490
Mail: francesca.toma@hereon.de
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-026-02511-y
Plan-view scanning electron microscopy image of the fabricated ion pump.
Source: Gideon Segev
Copyright: Gideon Segev
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