{
  "id": 6484272,
  "title": "Molecular surface design achieves over 100 million-fold tuning of porous liquid viscosity",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/molecular-surface-design-achieves-over-100-million-fold-tuning-of",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-09-09T22:00:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-09-molecular-surface-million-tuning-porous.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers at Kyoto University have developed a method to independently tune the viscosity and porosity of porous liquids by modifying the surface functionality of metal-organic polyhedra (MOPs). This breakthrough allows for the creation of liquids with viscosity ranging from 18 Pa·s to 3.0×109 Pa·s at 60°C, a difference of over 100 million-fold, while maintaining the same pore volume. The team used cuboctahedral rhodium-based MOPs with flexible polyethylene glycol (PEG) chains attached to them, forming star-shaped molecules that assemble into solvent-free type I porous liquids. By varying the surface functional group of the MOPs and the length of the PEG chains, the researchers created eight distinct porous liquids. The study found that the surface chemistry of the MOPs dictates the conformation of the surrounding polymer chains, with dodecyloxy groups promoting chain folding and compact shells resulting in lower viscosity. In contrast, hydroxy groups allowed the chains to extend, forming a transient interpenetrated network that increased viscosity. This surface-modification approach enabled the researchers to control the viscosity of the porous liquids without altering their pore volume, opening up new possibilities for applications in gas capture, separation, and membrane formation.",
  "summary": "Porous liquids combine permanent nanoscale cavities with fluidity, making them promising for applications like carbon dioxide capture, gas separation and other chemical processes. Their viscosity must be tailored to the intended application: Lower-viscosity liquids are easier to pump and circulate while facilitating faster heat and mass transfer, whereas higher-viscosity liquids provide greater…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}