Bioinspired Large-Area Atomically-Thin Graphene Membranes

Nanoporous graphene membranes are attractive for molecular separations, but it remains challenging to maintain sufficient mechanical strength during scalable fabrication and module development. Inspired by the composite structure of cell membranes and cell walls, a large-area atomically thin nanoporous graphene membrane supported by a fiber-reinforced structure with strong interlamellar adhesion is designed. Compared with other graphene-based membranes of large scale, the fracture stress, fracture strength, and tensile stiffness of the composite membranes can be enhanced by a factor of 17, 67, and 94, respectively. This fiber-reinforced structure also confers stability of the composite membrane to different curvature states and repeated bending processes after 10 000 times, which provides an opportunity for modularization. The breathable function of such membrane with an ultrahigh gas permeance (approximate to 8.6-23 L m-2 d-1 Pa-1) and an ultralow water vapor transportation rate (WVTR) (approximate to 23-129 g L m-2 d-1) is observed, superior to most commercial materials. This work provides a facile method to fabricate large-area graphene membranes and paves the road to practical application in the membrane separation field for other 2D films. Bioinspired large-area atomically-thin graphene membranes exhibit distinct mechanical performances that provide an opportunity for modularization because the fiber-reinforced network composite structure is like a shell of "concrete" wrapping outside the graphene membrane. The nanoporous graphene membrane, after reinforcement, maintains a prominent separation performance of the breathable function with an ultrahigh gas permeance and an ultralow water vapor transportation rate.image