Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Down to Business
  • Published:

Graphene-based filters for customized drinking water purification

A novel nanomaterial features the ideal surface chemistry for removing emerging, persistent organic contaminants from drinking water, leading to a swift transition from fundamental research to large-scale applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

USD 39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Industrial PSU hollow fibres for water filters, loaded with increasing quantities of GO.
Fig. 2
Fig. 3: Artwork with the typical structure of graphene and in background an electron microscopy image of the PSU-GO hollow fibres.

References

  1. Tröger, R. et al. Water Res. 198, 117099 (2021).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Grunfeld, D. A. et al. Nat. Geosci. 17, 340–346 (2024).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. The World Health Organization should significantly revise or withdraw its draft PFAS drinking water guidelines. Green Science Policy Institute https://greensciencepolicy.org/docs/General/pfas-scientists-letter-to-who-20221110.pdf (2022).

  4. Fenton, S. E. et al. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 40, 606–630 (2021).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Dimitrakopoulou, M. E. et al. NPJ Sci. Food 8, 80 (2024).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Our current understanding of the human health and environmental risks of PFAS. EPA https://www.epa.gov/pfas/our-current-understanding-human-health-and-environmental-risks-pfas (2025).

  7. Kaushal, S. S. et al. Biogeochemistry 141, 281–305 (2018).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Schlierf, A. et al. Nanoscale 5, 4205–4216 (2013).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Zambianchi, M. et al. Chem. Eng. J. 326, 130–140 (2017).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Zambianchi, M. et al. J. Membr. Sci. 658, 120707 (2022).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. GRAPHIL Spearhead project. Graphene Flagship https://graphene-flagship.eu/about/first-10-years/spearheads/c3-sh01-graphil/ (2020).

  12. Albu, N. & Juneja, M. Economic Footprint and R&D Footprint for Graphene Flagship (Wifor institute, 2023).

  13. Medica S.p.A. and CNR register the Graphisulfone® trademark. Medica https://www.medica-spa.com/en/news/art/medica-cnr-marchio-graphisulfone (16 October 2024).

  14. Tunioli, F. et al. Chem. Eur. J. 29, e202301854 (2023).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Mantovani, S. et al. Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol. 9, 1030–1040 (2023).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Manuela Melucci or Vincenzo Palermo.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

L.B. works for Medica S.p.A., the company that is commercializing the Graphisulfone filters for water purification described in this article. V.P., M.M. and M.Z. work for CNR. CNR will receive royalties from the sales of Graphisulfone filters.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Melucci, M., Bocchi, L., Zambianchi, M. et al. Graphene-based filters for customized drinking water purification. Nat Water 3, 369–371 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00427-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Version of record:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-025-00427-6

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing