@article {837566,
	title = {Liquid-based gating mechanism with tunable multiphase selectivity and antifouling behaviour},
	journal = {Nature},
	volume = {519},
	year = {2015},
	note = {This work was supported in part by the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), US Department of Energy, under award number DE-AR0000326. We thank M. Aizenberg, R. T. Blough and X. Y. Chen for discussions; A. B. Tesler for assistance with the scanning electron microscopy; and T. S. Wong, B. D. Hatton and R. A. Belisle for assistance with antifouling experiments.},
	pages = {70-73},
	abstract = {Living organisms make extensive use of micro- and nanometre-sized pores as gatekeepers for controlling the movement of fluids, vapours and solids between complex environments. The ability of such pores to coordinate multiphase transport, in a highly selective and subtly triggered fashion and without clogging, has inspired interest in synthetic gated pores for applications ranging from fluid processing to 3D printing and lab-on-chip systems. But although specific gating and transport behaviours have been realized by precisely tailoring pore surface chemistries and pore geometries<span style="font-size: 11.6667px;">,</span>\&nbsp;a single system capable of controlling complex, selective multiphase transport has remained a distant prospect, and fouling is nearly inevitable. Here we introduce a gating mechanism that uses a capillary-stabilized liquid as a reversible, reconfigurable gate that fills and seals pores in the closed state, and creates a non-fouling, liquid-lined pore in the open state. Theoretical modelling and experiments demonstrate that for each transport substance, the gating threshold{\textemdash}the pressure needed to open the pores{\textemdash}can be rationally tuned over a wide pressure range. This enables us to realize in one system differential response profiles for a variety of liquids and gases, even letting liquids flow through the pore while preventing gas from escaping. These capabilities allow us to dynamically modulate gas{\textendash}liquid sorting in a microfluidic flow and to separate a three-phase air{\textendash}water{\textendash}oil mixture, with the liquid lining ensuring sustained antifouling behaviour. Because the liquid gating strategy enables efficient long-term operation and can be applied to a variety of pore structures and membrane materials, and to micro- as well as macroscale fluid systems, we expect it to prove useful in a wide range of applications.},
	doi = {10.1038/nature14253},
	url = {http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:27657493},
	author = {Hou, X. and Hu, Y. and Grinthal, A. and Khan, M. and Aizenberg, J.}
}
