title: Selective Nanoscale Mass Transport across Atomically Thin Single Crystalline Graphene Membranes.
abstract: Atomically thin single crystals, without grain boundaries and associated defect clusters, represent ideal systems to study and understand intrinsic defects in materials, but probing them collectively over large area remains nontrivial. In this study, the authors probe nanoscale mass transport across large-area (≈0.2 cm2) single-crystalline graphene membranes. A novel, polymer-free picture frame assisted technique, coupled with a stress-inducing nickel layer is used to transfer single crystalline graphene grown on silicon carbide substrates to flexible polycarbonate track etched supports with well-defined cylindrical ≈200 nm pores. Diffusion-driven flow shows selective transport of ≈0.66 nm hydrated K+and Cl-ions over ≈1 nm sized small molecules, indicating the presence of selective sub-nanometer to nanometer sized defects. This work presents a framework to test the barrier properties and intrinsic quality of atomically thin materials at the sub-nanometer to nanometer scale over technologically relevant large areas, and suggests the potential use of intrinsic defects in atomically thin materials for molecular separations or desalting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Piran R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Kidambi
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Michael S H
authors.initials: MSH
authors.lastname: Boutilier
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Luda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Doojoon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Jeehwan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Rohit
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karnik
keywords: atomically thin membranes; selective transport; single crystalline graphene; sub-nanometer pores