September 22, 2025
      
                  
        
  Author(s)
  Yechan  Noh,   Demian  Riccardi,   Alexander  Smolyanitsky
 
       
            
    
    
        Aqueous cations permeate subnanoscale pores by crossing free energy barriers dominated by competing enthalpic contributions from transiently decreased ion-solvent and increased ion-pore electrostatic interactions. This commonly accepted view is rooted in