Functionalized Flash Graphene Membrane with Turbostratic Stacking Enables Ultrafast Water Purification

Currently, the potentially high permeability of graphene oxide (GO) membranes is fundamentally limited by their long and tortuous diffusion channels (Z-channels). To address this dilemma, we introduced a continuous flash Joule heating method to synthesize functionalized flash graphene (FFG) membranes with turbostratically stacked sheets that formed interconnected water transport channels. Meanwhile, the combination of misaligned nanopores within the sheets and the narrow interlayer spacing generated numerous thin S-channels, which also accelerated water transport. Thus, the FFG membrane can easily achieve a water permeance (~ 9724 L m–2 h–1 bar–1) that was two orders of magnitude higher than that of conventional GO membranes. The trajectories of water molecules were tracked by molecular dynamics, confirming that the formed misaligned nanopores significantly shorten the transport distance of water molecules. Importantly, this membrane exhibited efficient rejection (> 99.9%) of various heavy metal ions, organic molecules, and nano-plastics due to its narrow interlayer spacing. Overall, this work facilitates the scalability and economy of FFG membrane fabrication, expanding the demand for on-site and household water purification in the entire membrane field.