Researchers at Imperial College London have succeeded in growing ultrathin synthetic membranes that can filter out small molecules from organic solutes. The films, which are made from polyamide, are less than 10 nm thick and work by allowing solvents to pass through them while retaining larger solute molecules. They can also be made to have a crumpled texture, which increases their surface area and makes them even more efficient at filtering. The structures might be used to purify organic mixtures in refineries, in drug manufacture and water desalination, to name but a few possible application areas…..
http://nanotechweb.org/cws/article/tech/61569
