Nanochannel Stability of Chemically Converted Graphene Oxide Membranes

Siyu Zhou; Kecheng Guan; Zhan Li; Ping Xu; Shang Fang; Aiwen Zhang; Zheng Wang; Shengnan He; Keizo Nakagawa; Hideto Matsuyama

doi:10.1002/smll.202311237

Nanochannel Stability of Chemically Converted Graphene Oxide Membranes

Small. 2024 Apr 9:e2311237. doi: 10.1002/smll.202311237. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Siyu Zhou^{1

2}, Kecheng Guan¹, Zhan Li¹, Ping Xu¹, Shang Fang^{1

2}, Aiwen Zhang^{1

2}, Zheng Wang^{1

2}, Shengnan He^{1

2}, Keizo Nakagawa^{1

3}, Hideto Matsuyama^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Research Center for Membrane and Film Technology, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
² Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.
³ Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation, Kobe University, 1-1 Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501, Japan.

PMID: 38593376
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202311237

Abstract

Chemically converted graphene oxide laminate membranes, which exhibit stable interlayered nanochannels in aqueous environments, are receiving increasing attention owing to their potential for selective water and ion permeation. However, how the molecular properties of conversion agents influence the stabilization of nanochannels and how effectively nanochannels are stabilized have rarely been studied. In this study, mono-, di-, and tri-saccharide molecules of glucose (Glu), maltose (Glu2), and maltotriose (Glu3) are utilized, respectively, to chemically modify graphene oxide (GO). The aim is to create nanochannels with different levels of stability and investigate how these functional conversion agents affect the separation performance. The effects of the property differences between different conversion agents on nanochannel stabilization are demonstrated. An agent with efficient chemical reduction of GO and limited intercalation in the resulting nanochannel ensures satisfactory nanochannel stability during desalination. The stabilized membrane nanochannel exhibits a permeance of 0.69 L m^-2 h^-1 bar^-1 and excellent Na₂SO₄ rejection of 96.42%. Furthermore, this optimized membrane nanochannel demonstrates enhanced stability under varying external conditions compared to the original GO. This study provides useful information for the design of chemical conversion agents for GO nanochannel stabilization and the development of nanochannel membranes for precise separation.

Keywords: chemical conversion; desalination; graphene oxide; nanochannel membrane.

Abstract

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