Institute of Solid State Physics


SS22WS22SS23WS23SS24WS24      Guidelines for Master Students

Nanoporous materials of single-atom thickness: Concept studies on graphene-based membranes and two-dimensional MOFs for molecular sieving
A. W. Hauser
Institute of Experimental Physics, Graz University of Technology
08:40 - 09:00 Monday 28 September 2015 Hörsaal I, Alte Technik

An increased demand for energy and the need to use natural resources more efficiently are widely recognized challenges of our time. Many emerging membrane-based environmental technologies including gas storage, gas separation or water filtration have not yet reached full maturity due to the sub-optimal properties of the materials used. Nano-structured materials such as free-standing sheets of porous graphene or two-dimensional metal organic framework (MOF) architectures could provide an answer to some of the current limitations.
This talk summarizes our recent findings in the field and demonstrates the effective usage of computational methods on selected examples such as chiral resolution of drug molecules, the separation of methane from air and the separation of bosonic from fermionic helium. The first part focuses on possible functionalizations of nanoporous graphene sheets, and is closely related to our current research. The second, more visionary part is dedicated to planned research interests in the field of MOF design. The emphasis lies on demonstrating the predictive power of current simulation techniques, the creative freedom they offer, and their ability to deliver seeds for product development and real-world implementations. New ideas and potential projects are suggested to stimulate an open discussion with colleagues from the local chemistry department.