Inspired by the microstructure of nacre, material design, and large-scale integration of artificial nanofluidic devices step into a completely new stage, termed 2D nanofluidics, in which mass and charge transportation are confined in the interstitial space between reconstructed 2D nanomaterials. However, all the existing 2D nanofluidic systems are reconstituted from homogeneous nanobuilding blocks. Herein, this paper reports the bottom-up construction of 2D nanofluidic materials with kaolinite-based Janus nanobuilding blocks, and demonstrates two types of electrokinetic energy conversion through the network of 2D nanochannels. Being different from previous 2D nanofluidic systems, two distinct types of sub-nanometer- and nanometer-wide fluidic channels of about 6.8 and 13.8 Å are identified in the reconstructed kaolinite membranes (RKM), showing prominent surface-governed ion transport behaviors and nearly perfect cation-selectivity. The RKMs exhibit superior capability in osmotic and hydraulic energy conversion, compared to graphene-based membranes. The mineral-based 2D nanofluidic system opens up a new avenue to self-assemble asymmetric 2D nanomaterials for energy, environmental, and healthcare applications.

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In an attempt to make nanofibres based upon cobalt oxides, a novel compound hydrated cobalt hydroxy carbonate was formed. This compound is related to the minerals of the rosasite mineral group. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the formed compound was a cobalt hydroxy carbonate, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) displayed bundles of fibres on the micron scale in length and nanoscale in width. The morphology was compared with that of the rosasite mineral group. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved two bond energies for cobalt and three for oxygen in the compound. The compound was characterised by vibrational spectroscopy and the spectra related to minerals of the rosasite mineral group. The stability of the synthetic mineral was limited to temperatures below 200°C.

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A highly stable clay-based membrane was designed and fabricated that can be used for both salinity gradient energy conversion and organic dye/water separation.