The Effect of Graphene Shape on its Ability to Separate Gases

Abstract

A new integrable modification of the LJ-potential and a continual approach are used to investigate the interaction between a thin film (graphene) and gas molecules. It is shown that this technique allows determining the characteristics of a van der Waals-type interaction between molecules and graphene films of a variety of shapes. It is found that an unperforated graphene (planar or buckled) is impermeable for molecules with the energies consistent to the room temperature of a gaseous medium; hence, it has to be perforated in order to be used as a separator. Penetration of the molecules through the openings in a buckled graphene is somewhat different from that through a planar graphene, though these differences are insignificant. It is demonstrated that the data obtained on the planar graphene (most useful for theoretical research) are also valid for the really existing buckled (ruled-surface or chessboard) graphenes. When a graphene is used as a separator, its shape does not play the leading role in determining its principal property – permeability.