Scalable and efficient separation of hydrogen isotopes using graphene-based electrochemical pumping.

ABSTRACT: Thousands of tons of isotopic mixtures are processed annually for heavy-water production and tritium decontamination. The existing technologies remain extremely energy intensive and require large capital investments. New approaches are needed to reduce the industry's footprint. Recently, micrometre-size crystals of graphene are shown to act as efficient sieves for hydrogen isotopes pumped through graphene electrochemically. Here we report a fully-scalable approach, using graphene obtained by chemical vapour deposition, which allows a proton-deuteron separation factor of around 8, despite cracks and imperfections. The energy consumption is projected to be orders of magnitude smaller with respect to existing technologies. A membrane based on 30 m² of graphene, a readily accessible

SUBMITTER: Lozada-Hidalgo M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5436102 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature