Impact of Ligands on the Ion–Ion Selectivity of Ligand-Appended-Pillar[n]arene Channels

Ligand-appended pillar[5]arene (LAP) channels are emerging as a promising platform for ion-selective membranes. In this study, we investigated the ion selectivities of three LAP channels functionalized with distinct ligands: diglycolamine, carbamoylmethyl phosphine oxide, and propionamide phosphonic acid. These ligands were chosen based on their demonstrated affinities for lanthanides in solvent extraction studies. We examined the selectivity of each channel toward a series of monovalent, divalent, and trivalent ions: Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, La³⁺, Eu³⁺, and Yb³⁺. To quantify ion–channel interactions and the energetics of translocation, we computed the potential of mean force (PMF) profiles for each ion. These PMFs were subsequently recast into permeability coefficients, enabling a direct evaluation of ion permselectivity. Our results reveal distinct selectivity patterns governed by the chemical nature of the appended ligands. The diglycolamine-functionalized channel exhibits strong interactions with monovalent ions, leading to replication of the Li⁺ bulk hydration shell within the channel. This promotes preferential transport Li⁺ ions while effectively excluding divalent and trivalent species. In contrast, the carbamoylmethyl phosphine oxide-functionalized channel displays a reduced selectivity between monovalent ions while similarly exhibiting an effective rejection of divalent and trivalent ions. This arises from steric hindrance around channel-lining oxygens imposed by the ligand’s bulky phenyl groups which limits heavy ion coordination and promotes retention of hydration shells effectively increasing effective ion size. The propionamide phosphonic acid-functionalized channel exhibits a different trend, favoring ions with lower hydration free energies, with K⁺ ions showing enhanced permeation. These findings highlight the critical role of ligand–ion interactions in modulating ion selectivity within LAP channels. In particular, the strong coordination exhibited by diglycolamine and propionamide phosphonic acid ligands significantly influences the ion transport energetics and selectivity profiles.