Nanofiltration across Defect-Sealed Nanoporous Monolayer Graphene

作者:O'Hern Sean C; Jang Doojoon; Bose Suman; Idrobo Juan Carlos; Song Yi; Laoui Tahar; Kong Jing; Karnik Rohit*
来源:Nano Letters, 2015, 15(5): 3254-3260.
DOI:10.1021/acs.nanolett.5b00456

摘要

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 leakagesealing 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.