Nanosheet-templated graphene oxide membranes for fast molecule separation

Intercalated laminar membrane with controllable interlayer spacing (d-spacing) is one of the most effective membranes for fast molecule separation. In this work, we demonstrate a versatile strategy to create nanosheet-templated water channels in laminar graphene oxide (GO) membranes. The 1.2 nm-thick nickel hydroxide nanosheets as sacrificed intercalators provide a chance to control the d-spacing. The resultant membranes have controllable channels and exhibit over six times higher water permeance than the unintercalated membrane. The 880 nm-thick nanosheet-templated GO (NST-GO) membrane has accurate d-spacing of about 1.14 nm and shows high water permeance of 120.3 L m(-2) h(-1) bar(-1) and good molecule separation property, reflecting in high rejection for larger dyes (90.1% for erythrosine B [EB]), while low rejection for smaller dyes (58.3% for methylene blue [MB]). Furthermore, this strategy of intercalating and sacrificing nanosheets has higher potential than traditional intercalation in controlling d-spacing of laminar membranes.

Automated summary

This work demonstrates a versatile strategy to create nanosheet-templated water channels in laminar graphene oxide membranes with controllable interlayer spacing. The resulting membranes have higher water permeance and good molecule separation properties compared to unintercalated membranes. This intercalation and sacrificing nanosheets strategy has higher potential in controlling d-spacing of laminar membranes than traditional intercalation.