Graphene could be used to detoxify N-waste
The
findings could revolutionise the production of the heavy water composed
of a rare form of hydrogen called deuterium, which is expensive to
manufacture and purify with existing technology. (Photo courtesy: Roger
Ressmeyer/CORBIS)
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Graphene,
the thinnest and strongest substance known to science, could be used to
help detoxify nuclear waste thanks to the latest discovery involving
the wonder material. Experiments show that it can act as a "super
sieve", able to separate different atomic isotopes of hydrogen, and
create the expensive "heavy water" needed by the nuclear industry,
researchers said.
This is the first time that graphene — which consists of a crystal lattice of carbon arranged in layers just one atom thick — has been shown to act as a subatomic filter.
The findings could revolutionise the production of the heavy water composed of a rare form of hydrogen called deuterium, which is expensive to manufacture and purify with existing technology.
Graphene could also be used to clean up nuclear waste contaminated with radioactive tritium, another hydrogen isotope that can be separated by the graphene filter, scientists said.
"Essentially, graphene is the finest known sieve. It can sieve particles smaller than an atom..." said Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo of Manchester University, the first author of the study published in the journal Science.
Graphene, discovered by Nobel laureates and professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, at Manchester University in 2004, has already astonished the world of materials science with its range of unusual characteristics, such as its atomic-scale thinness, extreme strength and high electrical conductivity.
The latest study, by a research team led by professor Geim, discovered another novel property of graphene — its ability to filter the different atomic isotopes of hydrogen, namely tritium and deuterium, from ordinary hydrogen. The rare form of hydrogen, deuterium, is only present in nature in very small amounts.
The Manchester researchers showed, however, that graphene can act as a simple filter by slowing down the movement of deuterium through a membrane made of graphene and its sister material, boron nitride.
While ordinary hydrogen atoms passed straight through the sieve, deuterium was effectively blocked.
Tests showed it was possible to separate tritium and deuterium at room temperatures with high efficiency using just a fraction of the energy normally used to make heavy water. This demonstrated that the graphene filter could be used for industrial purposes, such as nuclear-waste management or the production of heavy, deuterium-rich water used as a nuclear coolant, the researchers said.
This is the first time that graphene — which consists of a crystal lattice of carbon arranged in layers just one atom thick — has been shown to act as a subatomic filter.
The findings could revolutionise the production of the heavy water composed of a rare form of hydrogen called deuterium, which is expensive to manufacture and purify with existing technology.
Graphene could also be used to clean up nuclear waste contaminated with radioactive tritium, another hydrogen isotope that can be separated by the graphene filter, scientists said.
"Essentially, graphene is the finest known sieve. It can sieve particles smaller than an atom..." said Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo of Manchester University, the first author of the study published in the journal Science.
Graphene, discovered by Nobel laureates and professors Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, at Manchester University in 2004, has already astonished the world of materials science with its range of unusual characteristics, such as its atomic-scale thinness, extreme strength and high electrical conductivity.
The latest study, by a research team led by professor Geim, discovered another novel property of graphene — its ability to filter the different atomic isotopes of hydrogen, namely tritium and deuterium, from ordinary hydrogen. The rare form of hydrogen, deuterium, is only present in nature in very small amounts.
The Manchester researchers showed, however, that graphene can act as a simple filter by slowing down the movement of deuterium through a membrane made of graphene and its sister material, boron nitride.
While ordinary hydrogen atoms passed straight through the sieve, deuterium was effectively blocked.
Tests showed it was possible to separate tritium and deuterium at room temperatures with high efficiency using just a fraction of the energy normally used to make heavy water. This demonstrated that the graphene filter could be used for industrial purposes, such as nuclear-waste management or the production of heavy, deuterium-rich water used as a nuclear coolant, the researchers said.
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