| Record |
| Author |
Hu, S.; Gopinadhan, K.; Rakowski, A.; Neek-Amal, M.; Heine, T.; Grigorieva, I.V.; Haigh, S.J.; Peeters, F.M.; Geim, A.K.; Lozada-Hidalgo, M. |
| Title |
Transport of hydrogen isotopes through interlayer spacing in van der Waals crystals |
Type |
A1 Journal article |
Year  |
2018 |
Publication |
Nature nanotechnology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Nat Nanotechnol |
| Volume |
13 |
Issue |
6 |
Pages |
468-+ |
| Keywords |
A1 Journal article; Engineering sciences. Technology; Condensed Matter Theory (CMT) |
| Abstract |
Atoms start behaving as waves rather than classical particles if confined in spaces commensurate with their de Broglie wavelength. At room temperature this length is only about one angstrom even for the lightest atom, hydrogen. This restricts quantum-confinement phenomena for atomic species to the realm of very low temperatures(1-5). Here, we show that van der Waals gaps between atomic planes of layered crystals provide angstrom-size channels that make quantum confinement of protons apparent even at room temperature. Our transport measurements show that thermal protons experience a notably higher barrier than deuterons when entering van der Waals gaps in hexagonal boron nitride and molybdenum disulfide. This is attributed to the difference in the de Broglie wavelengths of the isotopes. Once inside the crystals, transport of both isotopes can be described by classical diffusion, albeit with unexpectedly fast rates comparable to that of protons in water. The demonstrated angstrom-size channels can be exploited for further studies of atomistic quantum confinement and, if the technology can be scaled up, for sieving hydrogen isotopes. |
| Address |
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| Corporate Author |
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Thesis |
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| Publisher |
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Place of Publication |
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Editor |
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| Language |
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Wos |
000434715700015 |
Publication Date |
2018-04-04 |
| Series Editor |
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Series Title |
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Abbreviated Series Title |
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| Series Volume |
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Series Issue |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1748-3387; 1748-3395 |
ISBN |
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Additional Links |
UA library record; WoS full record; WoS citing articles |
| Impact Factor |
38.986 |
Times cited |
32 |
Open Access |
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| Notes |
; The authors acknowledge support from the Lloyd's Register Foundation, EPSRC – EP/N010345/1, the European Research Council ARTIMATTER project – ERC-2012-ADG and from Graphene Flagship. M.L.-H. acknowledges a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship. ; |
Approved |
Most recent IF: 38.986 |
| Call Number |
UA @ lucian @ c:irua:152014UA @ admin @ c:irua:152014 |
Serial |
5046 |
| Permanent link to this record |
