A bibliometric study on biomimetic and bioinspired membranes for water filtration

Insights into the biological channels and synthetic pore-forming assemblies have elucidated many fundamental aspects of selective water and solute transport over the last few decades. This has led to the development of novel technologies with unique selectivity and permeability. In terms of membrane separation technology, this development has proceeded by adapting either of two approaches: (i) one where biological channel proteins are reconstituted in suitable materials mimicking the biological bilayer membrane and (ii) one where selective transport is mimicked in synthetic structures. The development of water filtration membranes in the former approach takes advantage of aquaporin proteins as representative building blocks and that of carbon nanotubes and molecular pore-forming assemblies in the latter approach. The first approach is often referred to as the field dominated by biomimetic membranes and the latter referred to as artificial water channels. In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to investigate trends in these two areas based on growing publication trends, peer-reviewed journal selection, countries, institutions, authors, and collaborative networks. A total of 3199 records available from Scopus between 1962 and 2021 were extracted and analyzed. The results showed strong international collaborations and highlighted leading researchers and hubs of excellence in these two areas. This is very timely considering that the UN climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow, UK later this year will bring focus to the global need for water treatment technologies. This work can serve as a quick reference for early-career researchers and industries working in the area of membrane development for water purification/filtration.