Filtering and treating water accounts for about 13 percent of all electricity consumed in the US every year and releases about 290 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually. New research demonstrates that recently developed liquid-gated membranes filter nanoclay particles out of water more efficiently than existing membranes and require less frequent replacement and less energy to operate, a solution that could reduce the cost and electricity consumption of high-impact industrial processes such as oil and gas drilling.