In this review, we discuss the potential of graphene and two-dimensional materials ‘beyond graphene’ in membrane science, emphasizing peculiarities, application fields, open challenges and pitfalls. Two-dimensional materials are envisaged to work as ultrathin membranes with atomic thickness or, alternatively, as nanofillers for composite polymeric membranes. Formation and uniformity of nanopores into membranes based on two-dimensional materials represent key issues for successful separations. Currently, many efforts are dedicated to identify suitable techniques for massive production of porous graphene nanosheets at competitive costs. Despite a certain discrepancy between molecular modeling and experimental studies exists, the earliest implementations of graphene-based membranes for water desalination, liquid separation and gas purification show superb performances in terms of salt rejection, transmembrane flux and selectivity. Likewise, two-dimensional materials beyond graphene are regarded as promising candidates to work as ultrathin membranes.

在这篇综述中，我们讨论了石墨烯和“超越石墨烯”的二维材料在膜科学中的潜力，强调了特殊性，应用领域，开放的挑战和陷阱。二维材料可以用作具有原子厚度的超薄膜，或者用作复合聚合物膜的纳米填料。基于二维材料的纳米孔在膜中的形成和均匀性是成功分离的关键问题。当前，许多努力致力于确定以有竞争力的成本大量生产多孔石墨烯纳米片的合适技术。尽管分子建模与实验研究之间存在一定差异，但最早的石墨烯基膜用于水脱盐的实现方法是，液体分离和气体净化在除盐率，跨膜通量和选择性方面均表现出卓越的性能。同样，石墨烯以外的二维材料也被认为可以用作超薄膜。