Giant photoeffect in proton transport through graphene membranes
Source abstract
Abstract
Graphene has recently been shown to be permeable to thermal protons 1 , the nuclei of hydrogen atoms, which sparked interest in its use as a proton-conducting membrane in relevant technologies1-4. However, the influence of light on proton permeation remains unknown. Here we report that proton transport through Pt-nanoparticle-decorated graphene can be enhanced strongly by illuminating it with visible light. Using electrical measurements and mass spectrometry, we find a photoresponsivity of ∼104 A W-1, which translates into a gain of ∼104 protons per photon with response times in the microsecond range. These characteristics are competitive with those of state-of-the-art photodetectors that are based on electron transport using silicon and novel two-dimensional materials5-7. The photo-proton effect could be important for graphene's envisaged use in fuel cells and hydrogen isotope separation. Our observations may also be of interest for other applications such as light-induced water splitting, photocatalysis and novel photodetectors.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Fuel Cells and Related Materials · Graphene research and applications · Nanopore and Nanochannel Transport Studies
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (30)
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