Transparent proton transport through a two-dimensional nanomesh material.

ABSTRACT: Molecular sieving is of great importance to proton exchange in fuel cells, water desalination, and gas separation. Two-dimensional crystals emerge as superior materials showing desirable molecular permeability and selectivity. Here we demonstrate that a graphdiyne membrane, an experimentally fabricated member in the graphyne family, shows superior proton conductivity and perfect selectivity thanks to its intrinsic nanomesh structure. The trans-membrane hydrogen bonds across graphdiyne serve as ideal channels for proton transport in Grotthuss mechanism. The free energy barrier for proton transfer across graphdiyne is ~2.4 kJ mol^-1, nearly identical to that in bulk water (2.1 kJ mol^-1), enabling "transparent" proton transport at room temperature. This results in a proto

SUBMITTER: Xu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6722077 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature