Who: LG Electronics (LG) and ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich).
What: A method to greatly increase the speed and efficient transmission of gas, liquid and water vapor through perforated graphene. The researchers created 2D membranes using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) optimized to grow graphene with minimal defects and cracks to form graphene layers <1 nm. The researchers found that the membrane resulted in water permeance 5- to 7 fold faster than conventional filtration membranes and transmission of water vapor several hundred X higher compared to most advanced breathable textiles such as Gore-Tex. See “Ultimate Permeation Across Atomically Thin Porous Graphene”
Where: Potential applications are in water and air filtration.
When: Applications of graphene for water filtration are projected to hit the market in the next 12-18 months.
