(185n) Ultrathin Membranes Based on Single-Layer Graphene and Laminar Graphene Oxide for Molecular Separation
AIChE Annual Meeting
2019
2019 AIChE Annual Meeting
Materials Engineering and Sciences Division
Poster Session: Materials Engineering & Sciences (08F - Composite Materials)
Monday, November 11, 2019 - 3:30pm to 5:00pm
Compared with single-layer graphene, laminar membranes assembled from graphene oxide (GO) provide a more practical approach for separation application. However, for subnanometer-scale separations in aqueous environment, the implementation of excellent comprehensive performance in terms of flux, separation factor and stability remains a critical challenge. We achieved this by synergistically tuning the physical and chemical interlayer structures of GO membrane using a multifunctional structure-modulator, leading to the construction of robust water-selective transport highways. As a result, a superior water flux of 5936 g/m2âh, a remarkably high water/butanol separation factor of 3966 and an attractive long-term stability are achieved from an ultrathin (~30 nm) GO membrane, which exceeds the performance of state-of-the-art membranes for water/butanol separation. The synergistically tuning strategy proposed here is facile and reproducible, holding the great potential to produce high-efficiency GO and other 2D-material membranes for precise molecular separations in aqueous environment.