We report here a series of alkyl group-modified trimesic amide molecules (TAs) with excellent anion transport activities. Among them, TA6, with the highest ion transport activity and excellent selectivity, efficiently transports anions across the membrane in the order of ClO₄⁻ > I⁻ > NO₃⁻ > Br⁻ > Cl⁻, with an EC₅₀ value as low as 17.6 nM (0.022 mol% relative to lipid molecules) for ClO₄⁻, which outperforms other anions by 5- to 22-folds and manifests as the best perchlorate transporter ever reported.

Artificial photoresponsive transport systems are particularly intriguing because they offer the potential for precise spatio-temporal control, rapid response times and minimal toxicity associated with the light. We report here a controllable, photoresponsive, ion-transporting carrier, achieving controllability through a photoregulated β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-azobenzene host-guest complex. In this complex, a lipid-anchored β-CD serves as the launch base, tightly immobilizing through host-guest interactions the otherwise freely moving trans-transporter derived from a crown ether-modified trans-azobenzene motif, but rapidly releasing most of it upon 365 nm UV irradiation that converts transporter to its cis-configuration. The launched cis-transporter functions well as a highly efficient potassium transporter, delivering a low EC₅₀ value of 1.51 μM and a drastic transport activity enhancement by ~ 400% relative to the base-bound trans-transporter (EC₅₀ = 7.46 μM), with on-off activities repeatedly regulated by light. In the absence of the base, the on-off activities between cis- and trans-transporters however differ by only 80% (1.35 μM vs 2.45 μM).

C₁₁H₁₆BrNO₅, monoclinic, P2₁/c (no. 14), a = 15.164(7) Å, b = 11.798(5) Å, c = 7.359(3) Å, β = 90.792°, V = 1316.4(10) ų, Z = 4, R _gt (F) = 0.0322, wR _ref (F ²) = 0.0797, T = 296(2) K.

C₁₁H₁₄ClNO, monoclinic, P2₁/c (no. 14), a = 9.072(3) Å, b = 5.882(2) Å, c = 21.258(7) Å, β = 100.351°, V = 1115.9(7) ų, Z = 4, R _gt (F) = 0.0391, wR _ref (F ²) = 0.1167, T = 296(2) K.

C₁₄H₁₀Cl₂N₂O₂, triclinic, P 1 ‾ $P\overline{1}$ (no. 2), a = 6.165(12) Å, b = 7.192(13) Å, c = 7.829(15) Å, α = 74.97(2)°, β = 81.92(2)°, γ = 79.84(2)°, V = 328.3(11) ų, Z = 1, R _gt (F) = 0.0312, wR _ref (F ²) = 0.0859, T = 296(2) K.