Graphene oxide membranes with high permeability and selectivity for dehumidification of air

Hierarchically stacked 2D graphene oxide (GO) membranes are a fascinating and promising new class of materials with the potential for radically improved water vapor/gas separation with excellent selectivity and high permeability. This paper details dehumidification results from flowing gas mixtures through free-standing GO membrane samples prepared by a casting method. The first demonstrated use of freestanding GO membranes for water vapor separation reveals outstanding water vapor permeability and H2O/N-2 selectivity. Free-standing GO membranes exhibit extremely high water vapor permeability of 1.82 x 10(5) Barrer and a water vapor permeance of 1.01 x 10(-5) mol/m(2)sPa, while the nitrogen permeability was below the system's detection limit, yielding a selectivity >10(4) in 80% relative humidity (RH) air at 30.8 degrees C. The results show great potential for a range of energy conversion and environmental applications. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.