Mechanism of facilitated saccharide transport through plasticized cellulose triacetate membranes

Mechanistic insight is gained for saccharide transport through plasticized cellulose triacetate (CTA) membranes containing lipophilic ion-pair transport carriers. The molecular structures of the different membrane components are systematically varied and diagnostic transport characteristics such as saccharide–carrier diffusion constant and saccharide extraction constant are determined. The observed percolation thresholds support a jumping mechanism, however, the diffusion constants are found to decrease as the size of the saccharide, carrier cation, and carrier anion increase, indicating that the rate-limiting step in the transport process involves diffusion of a complex comprised of all three components. The data is reconciled in terms of mobile-site jumping mechanism where the saccharide is relayed along a sequence of ion-pair carriers that are locally mobile. In an attempt to improve saccharide selectivity, calix-[4]-arene dicarboxylates were evaluated as potential ditopic transport carriers. This produced no major change in saccharide extraction constants.