Ultrahigh ionic exclusion through carbon nanomembranes
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The collective “single‐file” motion of water molecules through natural and artificial nanoconduits inspires the development of high‐performance membranes for water separation. However, a material that contains a large number of pores combining rapid water flow with superior ion rejection is still highly desirable. Here, a 1.2 nm thick carbon nanomembrane (CNM) made from cross‐linking of terphenylthiol (TPT) self‐assembled monolayers is reported to possess these properties. Utilizing their extremely high pore density of 1 sub‐nm channel nm−2, TPT CNMs let water molecules rapidly pass, while the translocation of ions, including protons, is efficiently hindered. Their membrane resistance reaches ≈104 Ω cm2 in 1 m Cl− solutions, comparable to lipid bilayers of a cell membrane. Consequently, a single CNM channel yields an ≈108 higher resistance than pores in lipid membrane channels and carbon nanotubes. The ultrahigh ionic exclusion by CNMs is likely dominated by a steric hindrance mechanism, coupled with electrostatic repulsion and entrance effects. The operation of TPT CNM membrane composites in forward osmosis is also demonstrated. These observations highlight the potential of utilizing CNMs for water purification and opens up a simple avenue to creating 2D membranes through molecular self‐assembly for highly selective and fast separations.
Date Issued
2020-02-25
Date Acceptance
2020-01-01
Citation
Advanced Materials, 2020, 32 (8), pp.1-5
ISSN
0935-9648
Publisher
Wiley
Start Page
1
End Page
5
Journal / Book Title
Advanced Materials
Volume
32
Issue
8
Copyright Statement
© 2020 The Authors. Published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Identifier
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/adma.201907850
Subjects
Science & Technology
Physical Sciences
Technology
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Chemistry, Physical
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Physics, Applied
Physics, Condensed Matter
Chemistry
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Materials Science
Physics
2D materials
nanofluidics
self-assembled monolayer
sub-nanometer channels
water purification
PROTON TRANSPORT
LIPID-BILAYERS
GRAPHENE
MEMBRANE
CHANNELS
WATER
NANOTUBES
AQUAPORIN
MECHANISM
ENERGY
2D materials
nanofluidics
self-assembled monolayer
sub-nanometer channels
water purification
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
02 Physical Sciences
03 Chemical Sciences
09 Engineering
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2020-01-16