The humble coffee filter has the relatively simple job of letting the coffee through and leaving the grounds behind. But researchers from the ARC Center of Excellence for Carbon Science and Innovation (COE-CSI) are exploring whether a filter operating on the molecular scale can do something much more difficult: separate the caffeine from the coffee itself.

It’s no ordinary challenge. A cup of coffee isn’t simply water and caffeine; it’s a mixture of various chemical compounds, many of which contribute to its flavor, aroma and other characteristics. Removing caffeine while leaving the things that make coffee taste like coffee means distinguishing between molecules at an extraordinarily small scale.

For UNSW Team Graphene master’s research student Yihan Tian, the challenge had plenty of appeal. Not only is she a huge fan of coffee, but the science itself also excites her.