Extensive environmental pollution caused by worldwide industrialization and population growth has led to a water shortage. This problem lowers the quality of human life and wastes a large amount of money worldwide each year due to the related consequences. One main solution for this challenge is water purification. State-of-the-art water purification necessitates the implementation of novel materials and technologies that are cost and energy efficient. In this regard, graphene nanomaterials, with their unique physicochemical properties, are an optimum choice. These materials offer extraordinarily high surface area, mechanical durability, atomic thickness, nanosized pores and reactivity toward polar and non-polar water pollutants. These characteristics impart high selectivity and water permeability, and thus provide excellent water purification efficiency. This review introduces the potential of graphene membranes for water desalination. Although literature reviews have mostly concerned graphene’s capability for the adsorption and photocatalysis of water pollutants, updated knowledge related to its sieving properties is quite limited.

全球工业化和人口增长所造成的广泛环境污染导致水资源短缺。由于相关的后果，这个问题降低了人类的生活质量，并且每年在世界范围内浪费大量金钱。应对这一挑战的主要解决方案是水净化。最先进的水净化技术需要采用成本和能源效率更高的新型材料和技术。在这方面，具有独特的物理化学性质的石墨烯纳米材料是最佳选择。这些材料具有超高的表面积，机械耐久性，原子厚度，纳米尺寸的孔以及对极性和非极性水污染物的反应性。这些特性赋予了较高的选择性和透水性，从而提供优异的水净化效率。这篇综述介绍了石墨烯膜用于水脱盐的潜力。尽管文献综述主要关注石墨烯对水污染物的吸附和光催化能力，但有关其筛分特性的最新知识十分有限。