Permeation of Hydrogen, Atmospheric and Noble gases in Two-dimensional Oxide Membranes (PHANTOM)

• Applicants: Dr. Peter Dement; Professorin Dr. Anjana Devi
• Subject Area: Solid State and Surface Chemistry, Material Synthesis ; Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 496964156

Artificially perforated 2D materials are pursued as ultimately thin membranes for separation of gaseous and liquid substances. However, it is challenging to control the pore size distribution in defective structures and to avoid endangering their mechanical stability. Unlike graphene and other single-layer materials, 2D silicon dioxide is believed to be intrinsically porous due to its bilayer crystal lattice. In this interdisciplinary project, we propose to study molecular permeation across free-standing bilayer silica and related tetrahedral oxides. To enable the mass transport experiments with 2D SiO2, 2D GeO2 and 2D AlPO4, PHANTOM aims at developing novel synthetic protocols for growing large-area films by means of atomic layer deposition (ALD). We will elaborate on precursor chemistry for depositing Si, Ge, Al, P onto commercial metal substrates as well as thoroughly optimize the ALD processes to yield good-quality 2D materials. Following extensive spectroscopic and microscopic characterization, the oxide membranes obtained will be undergone comprehensive functional measurements at an advanced gas permeation facility. The membrane selectivity and throughput will be explored for a wide variety of species, and we anticipate establishing direct structure-property correlations. PHANTOM is going to deliver high-gain collaborative research with far-reaching implications in the field of 2D materials chemistry and physics.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants