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Peer-reviewedCC BYJournal of the American Chemical Society

Kosmotrope-Promoted Proton Hopping in Supramolecular Conductors

  • Weibin Lin1,2
  • Yongjiu Lei1,3
  • Pei Yu1,2
  • Lukman O. Alimi1,2
  • Jinrong Wang1,2
  • Basem Moosa1,2
  • Niveen M. Khashab1,2
  1. 1King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
  2. 2Smart Hybrid Materials Laboratory (SHMs), Chemistry Program, Physical Science and Engineering Division
  3. 3Materials Science and Engineering, Physical Science and Engineering Division
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Abstract

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Scientific interest in the Hofmeister effect has waxed and waned since its discovery over a century ago; however, its ion-specific influence on solvation and molecular organization remains a topic of enduring significance. While extensively studied in aqueous systems, its relevance to solid-state materials and Grotthuss mechanisms has remained largely unexplored. Here, we unveil a class of supramolecular organic cage salts, the Cage1 series, with counteranions spanning the Hofmeister series to systematically probe their ion-specific effects on solid-state proton conduction. Kosmotropic anions, stabilized by the supramolecular organic cage, are found to markedly enhance proton conductivity, promoting the formation of an extended hydrogen-bonded network (HB-network) that facilitates Grotthuss-type proton hopping. The conductivity increases by over 2 orders of magnitude from chaotropic Cage1-HI to kosmotropic Cage1-H 2 SO 4, reaching up to 1.03 × 10 –1 S cm –1 at 333 K under 95% RH. Single-crystal and molecular dynamics (MD) analyses reveal how distinct cage–anion–water interactions modulate proton mobility at the molecular level. These findings establish an unprecedented link between Hofmeister chemistry and proton transport in solids, offering a new ion-specific design principle for next-generation supramolecular proton conductors.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{lin2026kosmotropepromoted,
  title = {{Kosmotrope-Promoted Proton Hopping in Supramolecular Conductors}},
  author = {Weibin Lin and Yongjiu Lei and Pei Yu and Lukman O. Alimi and Jinrong Wang and Basem Moosa and Niveen M. Khashab},
  journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1021/jacs.6c03867},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c03867},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Kosmotrope-Promoted Proton Hopping in Supramolecular Conductors
AU  - Weibin Lin
AU  - Yongjiu Lei
AU  - Pei Yu
AU  - Lukman O. Alimi
AU  - Jinrong Wang
AU  - Basem Moosa
AU  - Niveen M. Khashab
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/14
JO  - Journal of the American Chemical Society
DO  - 10.1021/jacs.6c03867
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.6c03867
AB  - High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Scientific interest in the Hofmeister effect has waxed and waned since its discovery over a century ago; however, its ion-specific influence on solvation and molecular organization remains a topic of enduring significance. While extensively studied in aqueous systems, its relevance to solid-state materials and Grotthuss mechanisms has remained largely unexplored. Here, we unveil a class of supramolecular organic cage salts, the Cage1 series, with counteranions spanning the Hofmeister series to systematically probe their ion-specific effects on solid-state proton conduction. Kosmotropic anions, stabilized by the supramolecular organic cage, are found to markedly enhance proton conductivity, promoting the formation of an extended hydrogen-bonded network (HB-network) that facilitates Grotthuss-type proton hopping. The conductivity increases by over 2 orders of magnitude from chaotropic Cage1-HI to kosmotropic Cage1-H 2 SO 4, reaching up to 1.03 × 10 –1 S cm –1 at 333 K under 95% RH. Single-crystal and molecular dynamics (MD) analyses reveal how distinct cage–anion–water interactions modulate proton mobility at the molecular level. These findings establish an unprecedented link between Hofmeister chemistry and proton transport in solids, offering a new ion-specific design principle for next-generation supramolecular proton conductors.
SN  - 0002-7863
SN  - 1520-5126
SN  - 1943-2984
ER  -