In a discovery that experts say could revolutionize fuel cell technology, scientists in Britain have found that graphene, the world's thinnest, strongest and most impermeable material, can allow protons to pass through it.
The researchers, led by the discoverer of graphene, Andre Geim of Manchester University, said their finding also raised the possibility that in the future, graphene membranes could be used to "sieve" hydrogen gas from the atmosphere to then generate electricity.
"We are very excited about this result because it opens a whole new area of promising applications for graphene in clean energy harvesting and hydrogen-based technologies," said Geim's co-researcher on the study, Marcelo Lozada-Hidalgo.