Lithium (Li) is indispensable for low-carbon energy systems, yet its large-scale extraction from high-Mg salt-lake brines is fundamentally constrained by the insufficient selectivity of existing separation technologies. Traditional nanofiltration (NF) membranes suffer from an intrinsic selectivity-permeability trade-off, arising from the strong coupling between electrostatic interactions and ion transport within uniformly charged nanopores. Here, we present a biological ion channel–inspired nanofiltration (BICNF) membrane with an asymmetric charge heterostructure, fabricated by grafting positively charged quaternary ammonium salts onto a negatively charged polyamide nanopore. The as‑prepared membrane effectively breaks the ion selectivity‑permeability trade‑off in Mg²⁺/Li⁺ separation. Unlike uniformly charged NF membranes, the asymmetric charge heterostructure of the BICNF membrane spatially decouples ion pre-screening from transmembrane transport. Moreover, molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the bioinspired charge configuration establishes a directionally biased electrostatic steering effect, which actively guides Li⁺ ions through the nanopores while effectively repelling Mg²⁺. As a result, the BICNF membrane achieves a high Mg²⁺/Li⁺ selectivity (~75) with a high Li⁺ permeability rate of ~0.65 mol m^-2 h^-1. Using a simulated salt-lake brine, the BICNF membrane enables crystallization of Li₂CO₃ with a high purity of 99.1%. Thus, this work provides a bioinspired strategy to advance highly efficient ion separation for lithium extraction.

Lubricant infused surface (LIS) always displays efficient anti-fouling performance. However, the inherent liquid properties of infused lubricants often lead to their rapid depletion in harsh conditions such as water flushing, thereby reducing the antifouling capability of LIS. Herein, we reported a thermal-responsive lubricant infused surface (TLIS) based on composite phase change materials (CPCMs), exhibiting durable and efficient anti-scaling performance. During multicycle scaling-descaling test, the anti-scaling efficiencies of TLIS based on paraffin and vaseline can be increased to 91.4% ± 0.5% for first cycle and 85.3% ± 3.3% for sixth cycle. The paraffin acts as solid scaffolds for structural stability while the vaseline acts as liquid lubricants for anti-scaling enhancement. The universality of this surface can be revealed by suppressing various scales (e.g., CaCO₃, CaSO₄, CaC₂O₄, and MgCO₃) and varying CPCMs types (e.g., n-alkanes, ionic liquids, and fatty acids). Therefore, this study presents a promising strategy that enhances the durability of anti-scaling capability and potentially applys in heat exchange systems.