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Molecular bridges stabilize graphene oxide membranes in water

Mengchen Zhang, Yangyang Mao, Guozhen Liu, Gongping Liu*, Yiqun Fan and Wanqin Jin*

Abstract | Recent innovations highlight the great potential of two-dimensional materials, such as graphene oxide (GO) films, in water-related applications. However, undesirable water-induced effects, such as the redispersion and peeling of stacked GO laminates, greatly degrade their established performance and impact their practical application. It remains a great challenge to stabilize GO membranes in water. Here, we report on a molecular bridge strategy, in which an interlaminar short-chain molecular bridge generates a robust GO laminate that resists the tendency to swell. Furthermore, an interfacial long-chain molecular bridge adheres the GO laminate onto a porous substrate to increase the mechanical strength to the membrane. By rationally creating and tuning the molecular bridges, the stabilized GO membranes can exhibit outstanding durability in harsh operating conditions, such as cross-flow, high-pressure, and long-term filtration. The proposed general and scalable stabilizing approach for GO membranes opens new opportunities for reliable two-dimensional laminar films used in aqueous environments.