2011/12/15 by R. R. Nair, Rahul R. Nair, HengAn Wu +5 · 2 citations
Engineering · Environmental Science · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Graphene research and applications #Membrane Separation Technologies #Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #physics.flu-dyn
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1211694
published as Science 335, 442-444 (2012)
arxiv created 2011/12/15 · openalex publication_date 2012/01/26 · arxiv updated 2012/01/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03
Permeation through nanometer pores is important in the design of materials for filtration and separation techniques and because of unusual fundamental behavior arising at the molecular scale. We found that submicrometer-thick membranes made from graphene oxide can be completely impermeable to liquids, vapors, and gases, including helium, but these membranes allow unimpeded permeation of water (H(2)O permeates through the membranes at least 10(10) times faster than He). We attribute these seemingly incompatible observations to a low-friction flow of a monolayer of water through two-dimensional capillaries formed by closely spaced graphene sheets. Diffusion of other molecules is blocked by reversible narrowing of the capillaries in low humidity and/or by their clogging with water.