Graphdiyne as a High-Efficiency Membrane for Separating Oxygen from Harmful Gases: A First-Principles Study

We theoretically explored the adsorption and diffusion properties of oxygen and several harmful gases penetrating the graphdiyne monolayer. According to our first-principles calculations, the oxidation of the acetylenic bond in graphdiyne needs to surmount an energy barrier of ca. 1.97 eV, implying that graphdiyne remains unaffected under oxygen-rich conditions. In a broad temperature range, graphdiyne with well-defined nanosized pores exhibits a perfect performance for oxygen separation from typical noxious gases, which should be of great potential in medical treatment and industry.