Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
Fabrication of Three-Dimensional Graphene-Based Polyhedrons via Origami-Like Self-Folding
Published on: September 23, 2018
One dimensional building blocks for molecular separation: laminated graphitic nanoribbons
Dae Woo Kim1, In Kim, Jidon Jang
1National Laboratory for Organic Opto-Electronic Materials, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Eng. (BK-21 plus) & KAIST Institute for Nanocentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon 305-701, Republic of Korea. audw1105@kaist.ac.kr heetae@kaist.ac.kr.
A novel graphitic nanoribbon membrane offers exceptional solvent flux and separation performance for water and organic solvents. This durable carbon-based membrane shows high stability, outperforming existing nanofiltration technologies.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Existing graphitic membranes like graphene oxide and carbon nanotubes have limitations in solvent flux and separation efficiency.
- Development of advanced membrane materials is crucial for efficient separation processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report a new carbon-based graphitic membrane composed of laminated graphitic nanoribbons.
- To investigate its unique characteristics in pressure-driven systems compared to existing membranes.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a graphitic nanoribbon membrane.
- Performance evaluation in pressure-driven filtration systems.
- Analysis of solvent flux, separation performance, and chemical/hydraulic stability.
- Electron microscopy and simulation for structural analysis.
Main Results:
- The graphitic nanoribbon membrane exhibits high solvent flux for both polar (water) and nonpolar organic solvents.
- Achieved water flux is an order of magnitude higher, and organic solvent flux is two to three orders of magnitude greater than commercial nanofiltration membranes.
- Demonstrated good separation of organic dye molecules (~100%) and trivalent ions (~60%) with sustained high flux.
- Exhibited excellent stability in various chemical solutions (HCl, NaOH, toluene, ethanol, water) and under high hydraulic pressure (up to 50 bar).
Conclusions:
- The unique structure of entangled thin multilayers of graphitic nanoribbons contributes to high flux and separation performance.
- This novel membrane material offers significant advantages over existing technologies for various filtration applications.
- The membrane's stability and performance make it a promising candidate for demanding separation processes.
