Nanofiltration across Defect-Sealed Nanoporous Monolayer Graphene
Monolayer nanoporous graphene represents an ideal membrane for molecular separations, but its practical realization is impeded by leakage through defects in the ultrathin graphene. Here, we report a multiscale leakage-sealing process that exploits the nonpolar nature and impermeability of pristine g...
Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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Other Authors: | , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
American Chemical Society (ACS),
2016-08-16T14:40:29Z.
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | Get fulltext |
Summary: | Monolayer nanoporous graphene represents an ideal membrane for molecular separations, but its practical realization is impeded by leakage through defects in the ultrathin graphene. Here, we report a multiscale leakage-sealing process that exploits the nonpolar nature and impermeability of pristine graphene to selectively block defects, resulting in a centimeter-scale membrane that can separate two fluid reservoirs by an atomically thin layer of graphene. After introducing subnanometer pores in graphene, the membrane exhibited rejection of multivalent ions and small molecules and water flux consistent with prior molecular dynamics simulations. The results indicate the feasibility of constructing defect-tolerant monolayer graphene membranes for nanofiltration, desalination, and other separation processes. Samsung (Firm) (Fellowship) United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Award number DE-SC0008059) King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (Center for Clean Water and Clean Energy at MIT and KFUPM, project number R10-CW-09) |
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