Graphene capillaries
21 Feb 2019 by Evoluted New Media
Researchers at the National Graphene Institute have made atomic-scale capillaries with the material. The artificial channels are just one atom in size, small enough to block the flow of smallest ions but allowing water to flow through freely. Dr Radha Boya, co-author of the research paper, said: “We cleave atomically flat nanocrystals just 50 and 200 nanometre in thickness from bulk graphite and then place strips of monolayer graphene onto the surface of these nanocrystals. “These strips serve as spacers between the two crystals when a similar atomically-flat crystal is subsequently placed on top.” The structures could be used for desalination and filtration technologies. The Manchester-based institute published its findings in Science.
