Imide Cyclophane Assemblies Enable Aquaporin‐Like Water Transport

Abstract

ABSTRACT Artificial water channels (AWCs) that replicate the high efficiency and selectivity of natural aquaporins are of considerable interest for desalination, water purification, and biomedical applications, yet the simultaneous realization of high permeability and perfect selectivity remains challenging. Herein, we report a class of self‐assembled AWCs based on an imide cyclophane. Single‐crystal analysis reveals that macrocycle 1 features an internal cavity of 3.5 Å × 6.3 Å, with a narrow constriction closely matching the dimensions of the selectivity filter of aquaporin 1. The assembled channel ( 1 ) 4 exhibits a single‐channel water transport rate of up to 3.9 × 10 9  H 2 O s −1 , corresponding to approximately 36% of AQP1 and representing one of the best‐performing small‐molecule self‐assembled AWCs reported to date. Notably, it completely excludes NaCl, KCl, and protons. This work demonstrates that both the key structural feature and function of aquaporins can be emulated through a bottom‐up supramolecular approach, providing a platform for the design of high‐performance biomimetic membranes and channel‐based therapeutics.