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According to Sinochem New Network, recently Professor Wang Luda from Peking University’s School of Integrated Circuits, in collaboration with the team led by Professor Song Bai from the School of Mechanics and Engineering Sciences, successfully developed the world’s first high-efficiency \"gas molecule diode.\" This device enables unidirectional and controlled flow of gas molecules, just as electrons do in a diode; the flow of gas in one direction can be nearly 100 times faster than in the other direction. The relevant findings were recently published in Nature Materials. Wang Luda explained that in the electronic world, a diode is like a \"one-way road\" that allows current to flow in only one direction. If electrons are compared to well-trained soldiers who can follow orders and move in one direction along the \"highways\" of chips, then gas molecules are like a group of stubborn \"free soldiers\". Now, the research team has made these “free agents” line up for the first time, looking in the same direction. To achieve this, the team turned to graphene—a material with a thickness of just one atomic layer, so thin that it can be considered a \"miraculous film from the two-dimensional world\". The team made a hole in this thin film, with a size on the order of angstroms. More importantly, the team constructed an “asymmetric” Emi hole structure on graphene: molecules coming from one direction move as if along a gentle slope, and can easily \"cross\" over with a slight amount of effort ； Coming from the opposite direction, one has to face a steep \"step\" that is almost impossible to cross. It is this atomic-level \"topographical difference\" that allows gas molecules to move in only one direction. To test the performance of the \"gas molecule diode\", the team prepared multiple sets of devices and conducted systematic tests on 10 different gases. The results showed that seven types of gases, including oxygen and nitrogen, all exhibited directional flow properties. “This breakthrough is not just a new discovery in the laboratory; it also holds great potential to be put to practical use in the real world. ”Wang Luda explained that in the future, purifying important gases such as oxygen and nitrogen might be more energy-efficient, produce less carbon emissions, and be more efficient than it is today.