Adv Mater. 2026 Apr 10:e23689. doi: 10.1002/adma.202523689. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Chirality is a fundamental property with profound implications in fields like pharmaceuticals, yet the separation of enantiomers remains a significant technical hurdle. This review chronicles the development of interfacial super-assembled hetero-structured chiral nanochannel membranes, a transformative approach for enantioseparation. We begin by systematically summarizing the construction of these hierarchical membranes from zero- to three-dimensional building blocks, employing a versatile toolbox of interfacial assembly strategies including phase inversion, electrospinning, and vacuum filtration. The design principles of pore-in-pore, pore-on-pore, and multichannel configurations are detailed, demonstrating how they break the conventional permeability-selectivity trade-off. The core transport mechanisms including diffusion-selective, adsorption-selective, and the recently proposed couple-accelerated-selective transport are elucidated. The review also surveys representative material systems, from metal-organic frameworks (MOF) to molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP). We conclude with a forward-looking perspective on persistent challenges, such as scalability and stability, and the immense opportunities presented by artifacial intelligence (AI)-assisted design and bioinspired dynamic membranes for the future of chiral technologies.

PMID:41960631 | DOI:10.1002/adma.202523689