A new study that solves three major problems with fabricating large graphene membranes could lead to commercially viable carbon capture using the technology.
Single-atom-thick graphene membranes are a promising tool for filtering carbon dioxide from fluegases because they excel at selective filtration without needing much energy input. But fabricating such a fragile material on a scale larger than a few centimeters has been very challenging. A new method uses inexpensive materials and updated processes to ensure a uniform surface at a reasonable price.
Historically, researchers have been able to make membranes of up to 50 cm2. “This is still lab-scale,” says Jian Hao, a scientist in the Laboratory of Advanced Separations at the Swiss Federal Technology Institute of Lausanne (EPFL) and first author of the new research. “But the fundamentals have no limitations in terms of sample area, so we can apply this method to roll-to-roll production.”
The current industry method of carbon capture uses amine-based solvents to react with carbon dioxide in fluegas. This process requires heat in order to desorb the carbon dioxide from the solvent for storage or reuse. Filtering fluegas with graphene membranes — not unlike using a filter to remove impurities in water —...
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