Permeation selectivity of alkali metal ions through crown ether based ion channels

Synthetic ion channels mimic the natural ion channels for various biological activities such as drug delivery, signal transduction, as biosensors and as antibacterial agents. Among the synthetic ion channels, crown ether-based ion channels show greater selectivity for K+ and Na+, compared to other metal ions. These synthetic ion channels can therefore be utilized for the selective transport of K+ and Na+ which is important for various biological...