Science· 2014Q1
Precise and Ultrafast Molecular Sieving Through Graphene Oxide Membranes
- 2,506citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2014year
Short summary
Graphene oxide membranes act as molecular sieves, blocking solutes larger than 4.5 angstroms while allowing smaller ions to permeate thousands of times faster than expected.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Graphene oxide membranes act as molecular sieves, blocking solutes > 4.5 angstroms hydrated radius.
- Smaller ions permeate membranes thousands of times faster than predicted by diffusion.
- Mechanism involves hydrated nanocapillaries and capillary pressure within the membrane.
- Membranes are vacuum-tight when dry but permeable when hydrated.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Graphene-based materials can have well-defined nanometer pores and can exhibit low frictional water flow inside them, making their properties of interest for filtration and separation. We investigate permeation through micrometer-thick laminates prepared by means of vacuum filtration of graphene oxide suspensions. The laminates are vacuum-tight in the dry state but, if immersed in water, act as molecular sieves, blocking all solutes with hydrated radii larger than 4.5 angstroms. Smaller ions permeate through the membranes at rates thousands of times faster than what is expected for simple diffusion. We believe that this behavior is caused by a network of nanocapillaries that open up in the hydrated state and accept only species that fit in. The anomalously fast permeation is attributed to a capillary-like high pressure acting on ions inside graphene capillaries.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Science, 2014 · DOI ↗
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Field: Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical EngineeringEngineering