Study explains why more water is not always better in ion-conducting membranes

New research co-led by Juan de Pablo – NYU Executive Vice President for Global Science and Technology and Executive Dean of NYU Tandon – reveals insights about ion transport across anion exchange membranes in fuel cells and batteries. Collaborating with colleagues at University of Chicago, his former institution, de Pablo notes: "This research provides a molecular-level blueprint for optimizing energy membranes." UChicago Ph.D. candidate Ge Sun (now a Visiting Scholar at NYU Tandon), co-first author, explained, "We can precisely model water molecules around AEMs on a picosecond timescale." This enables durable clean energy technologies in low-humidity environments.