Previously graphene-oxide membranes were shown to be completely impermeable to all solvents except for water. However, a study published in Nature Materials, now shows that we can tailor the molecules that pass through these membranes by simply making them ultrathin.
The research team led by Professor Rahul Nair at the National Graphene Institute and School of Chemical Engineering and Analytical Science at The University of Manchester tailored this membrane to allow all solvents to pass through but without compromising it's ability to sieve out the smallest of particles.
In the newly developed ultrathin membranes, graphene-oxide sheets are assembled in such a way that pinholes formed during the assembly are interconnected by graphene nanochannels, which produces an atomic-scale sieve allowing the large flow of solvents through the membrane.
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Prof. Nair said, "Just for a fun, we even filtered whisky and cognac through the graphene-oxide membrane. The membrane allowed the alcohol to pass through but removed the larger molecules, which gives the amber colour. The clear whisky smells similar to the original whisky but we are not allowed to drink it in the lab, however it was a funny Friday night experiment!"
Minute control over the sheets of graphene allow them to tailor filters for exact purposes like desalinization.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Wednesday November 15 2017, @05:13AM (1 child)
I always wondered why moonshine is clear but commercial whiskey is colored.
But I didn't expect anyone to go to the trouble to make the whiskey look like moonshine.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Wednesday November 15 2017, @05:33AM
There we go: make cheap whiskey look like bespoke moonshine. Just filter it, pour into a mason jar, and slap a fancy label on it.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]