Microscopic Observation of Kinetic Molecular Sieving of Hydrogen Isotopes in a Nanoporous Material

Journal Article · Fri Aug 20 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.105.085901· OSTI ID:21470980

Nguyen, T X; Bhatia, S K ^[1]; Jobic, H ^[2]

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1. School of Chemical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072 (Australia)
2. Universite Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR 5256, IRCELYON, Institut de recherches sur la catalyse et l'environnement de Lyon, 2 Avenue Albert Einstein, F-69626 Villeurbanne (France)

We report quasielastic neutron scattering studies of H{sub 2}-D{sub 2} diffusion in a carbon molecular sieve, demonstrating remarkable quantum effects, with the heavier isotope diffusing faster below 100 K, confirming our recent predictions. Our transition state theory and molecular dynamics calculations show that while it is critical for this effect to have narrow windows of size comparable to the de Broglie wavelength, high flux requires that the energy barrier be reduced through small cages. Such materials will enable novel processes for kinetic molecular sieving of hydrogen isotopes.

• OSTI ID: 21470980
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 105; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY
ADSORBENTS
CALCULATION METHODS
CARBON
COHERENT SCATTERING
DE BROGLIE WAVELENGTH
DEUTERIUM
DIFFRACTION
DIFFUSION
DIRECT REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATERIALS
MOLECULAR DYNAMICS METHOD
MOLECULAR SIEVES
NANOSTRUCTURES
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
NONMETALS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
POROUS MATERIALS
QUASI-ELASTIC SCATTERING
QUASI-FREE REACTIONS
SCATTERING
STABLE ISOTOPES
WAVELENGTHS