APPLIED CLAY SCIENCE
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2024
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IF 5.3
Tiancheng Gu,Junjie Xu,Fengdan Zhu,Zhengmao Ding,Yunjun Luo
Sustainable, clean, seawater-river interface osmotic energy shows great potential in replacing traditional fossil fuel sources. Two-dimensional (2D) nanofluidic channels, known for their high throughput, high integration density, and excellent scalability, render practical applications feasible for osmotic energy harvesting. However, 2D nanofluidic channels face challenges such as high internal resistance and high costs, which keep the ultimate goal of large-scale osmotic energy harvesting distant. Herein, a novel method to regulate ion transport resistance by constructing different hydrophilic asymmetric nanofluidic channels using bilayer membrane of vermiculite and MXene is proposed. Vermiculite nanosheets are prepared via polymer-assisted exfoliation method utilizing polyethyl-phosphate glycol ester. After simple stirring and maturation process, the exfoliation concentration can reach 20 phr within 8 h, which is 20 times higher than the previously reported maximum. The internal resistance of the bilayer membrane decreased from 24.1 kΩ to 15.0 kΩ as the direction of ions transport changes. Oxygen plasma assistance enabled the bilayer membrane to reach a maximum power density of 4.66 W m −2 . The high-efficiency preparation method of vermiculite nanosheets and the emphasis on membrane surface properties offer new insights into practical osmotic energy harvesting.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源工程
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Chemical Science
·
2025
·
IF 7.4
Qijun Zheng,Yue Shen,Junjian Lu,Yan Xu,Xing-Hua Xia,Chen Wang
Nanofluidic membranes holds great potential for osmotic energy conversion. Creating high-efficiency ion-permselective membranes with well-fit channel structure continues to pose a persistent challenge. In this work, we design a novel dual asymmetric nanofluidic membrane with MXene and Nafion separately on the two sides of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) for enhanced ion selective transport. Driven by osmosis, cations are initially separated by Nafion layer with rich negative charges, then followed by accelerated transport due to the interface potential abruptness between AAO channels and MXene layer. Following that, MXene layer acts as the second cation selective layer and further achieve ion charge separation. Benefiting from the dual ion selectivity and accelerated ions transfer, high cation transfer number of 0.95 can be realized using the present membrane. In addition, photo-thermal property of MXene could generate an additional thermal gradient under light irradiation, further promoting ions transfer. Taking advantages of the present two-sided asymmetric nanofluidic membrane, the output power could be up to 65.6 W m-2 at 500-fold NaCl salinity gradient, which is much higher than the majority of previously reported RED membranes (3.0~35.0 W m-2). The present work opens up a new strategy for constructing novel asymmetric nanofluidic devices for enhanced ion transport and osmotic energy harvesting.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源工程
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纳米技术
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
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2024
·Vol. 25
·期 23
·13226
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IF 4.9
Sha Wang,Zhe Sun,Mehraj Ahmad,Mengyu Miao
Two-dimensional (2D) nanofluidic channels are emerging as potential candidates for harnessing osmotic energy from salinity gradients. However, conventional 2D nanofluidic membranes suffer from high transport resistance and low ion selectivity, leading to inefficient transport dynamics and limiting energy conversion performance. In this study, we present a novel composite membrane consisting of porous MXene (PMXene) nanosheets featuring etched nanopores, in conjunction with cellulose nanofibers (CNF), yielding enhancement in ion flux and ion selectivity. A mild H2O2oxidant is employed to etch and perforate the MXene sheets to create a robust network of cation transportation nanochannels that effectively reduces the energy barrier for cation transport. Additionally, CNF with a unique nanosize and high charge density further enhances the charge density and mechanical stability of the nanofluidic system. Under neutral pH and room temperature, the PMXene/CNF membrane demonstrates a maximum output power density of 0.95 W·m−2at a 50-fold KCl gradient. Notably, this represents a 43% improvement over the performance of the pristine MXene/CNF membrane. Moreover, 36 nanofluidic devices connected in series are demonstrated to achieve a stable voltage output of 5.27 V and power a calculator successfully. This work holds great promise for achieving sustainable energy harvesting with efficient osmotic energy conversion utilization.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源技术
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环境科学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
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2024
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IF 18.5
Ziqi Ren,Qixiang Zhang,Jianyu Yin,Peixue Jia,Wenzhong Lu,Qianqian Yao,Mingfang Deng,Yihua Gao,Nishuang Liu
Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology, relying on ion-selective permeability membranes (ISPM), offers a direct means of harnessing osmotic energy from the salinity difference between seawater and freshwater. Critical technical challenges include limitations in ISPM's immobile charge carriers, transmembrane ionic internal resistance, and durability in water. Drawing inspiration from the subunit structure of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), an ISPM assembled using a supramolecular engineering strategy is introduced. This innovative approach enables the synergistic action of multiple molecular building blocks to mimic the distribution of ENaC subunit structures, strategically planning the placement of immobile charge carriers on nanofluidic channels. The design incorporates nano-confined oxygen-rich functionalized MXene (O-MXene) and high-strength polymer backbone aramid fibers to construct 3D nanofluidic channels with a high surface charge density. Enhanced by a bonding network of sodium carboxymethylcellulose, the ISPM achieved an exceptional output power density of 21.7 W m −2 and 46.0% energy conversion efficiency in a RED half-cell system using natural seawater and river water, surpassing current technologies. This research not only advances RED technology but also provides biomimetic customization concepts for ISPM design across various applications, including flow batteries, fuel cells, and related fields.
研究领域:
能源科学
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材料科学
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仿生学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2022
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IF 16.744
Binglin Zhou,Jie Zou,Zewan Lin,Zhanhong Yuan,Xingzhen Qin,Pan Chen,Dongdong Ye
The growing interest in biomass-based nanofluids has revealed flaws in large-scale manufacturing, customizable aligned nanostructures, and the weak interaction of structural components, resulting in low ionic conductivity, unsatisfactory long-term reliability underwater, and insufficient energy conversion efficiency. Herein, we present a bottom-up strategy integrating cellulose dissolution, orientation, regeneration, and densification to construct regenerated cellulose-based nanofluidic fibers (RCNFs) comprising a high weight content of acidified carbon nanotubes (40 %), aligned nanochannels (3–4 nm), and negatively charged surfaces (–3.05 mC m −2 ). Benefited from the synergistic alignment and spatial confinement of CNTs by the cross-linked cellulose network, the RCNFs realized a high underwater strength (29 MPa), unprecedentedly high ionic conductivity (0.07 S cm −1 ) at low salt concentrations (<0.001 M), and high long-term output power density (2.57 W m −2 over 43 days) in an artificial river water–seawater system. In a proof-of-concept experiment, customizable RCNF-based devices connected in series powered a calculator and LED lights at a 50-fold concentration gradient. This work can promote the application of regenerated cellulose in high-performance osmotic energy conversion systems.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源工程
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生物材料
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
·
2024
·Vol. 35
·期 2
·2412477
·
IF 18.5
Huijie Wang,Yao Zhang,Jin Wang,Saijilahu,Hanjun Sun,Huajun Yang,Xing-Hua Xia,Chen Wang
The utilization of salt concentration gradients as a renewable energy source represents a pivotal solution to the energy crisis. However, it is a persistent challenge to fabricate high-performance ion permeable membranes with excellent ion permselectivity. In this work, hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) is in situ growth on anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) via chemical-binding and solution-processing strategy. The hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions forming the porous structure and the internal unprotonated carboxyl groups endow the HOF with superior cation selectivity and ion permeability. Furthermore, benefiting from the remarkable asymmetry of the prepared nanofluidic membrane arising from structure and charge of AAO and HOF, the HOF/AAO presents outstanding ion current rectification (ICR) characteristic, which can eliminate the ion concentration polarization (ICP) and power loss. Therefore, an impressive output power density with 500-fold NaCl gradient is achieved as 75.2 W m −2 using the as-prepared HOF/AAO, which is superior to most of reported membranes (7.0–40.0 W m −2 ). To show the critical role of HOF, 2D and 3D MOF with the same monomers are also synthesized, achieving decreased power densities of 36.2 and 58.3 W m −2 respectively. The present work provides a novel strategy to develop high-performance nanofluidic ICR membranes for osmotic energy harvesting.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源技术
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化学工程
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DOI
高影响因子
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
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2024
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IF 13.3
Yue Wang,Hao Jiang,Yuhan Zhang,Zhichao Song,Zijie Chen,Kunyan Sui,Wenxin Fan,Pengfei Qi
Harvesting ocean salinity energy has attracted large attentions based on different kinds of asymmetric ionic membranes. Gradient polyelectrolyte hydrogels demonstrated superior power generation capacity due to their abundant charged groups and rectification behaviors. However, they generally suffer from the electrostatic screening and dramatic swelling, leading to unsatisfactory energy conversion performance. Here, an anti-swelling, salt-tolerant gradient polyanion hydrogel is reported for high-efficiency osmotic energy conversion. The gradient polyanion hydrogel is prepared by ultraviolet (UV) induced copolymerization of anionic monomer and aromatic monomer. Benefiting from the mutual electrostatic interaction and π-π conjugation interaction, the gradient polyanion hydrogel presents the outstanding anti-electrostatic screening and anti-swelling performance. As a result, they can maintain excellent cation selectivity and ionic diode effect for providing an ultrahigh power density of 16.4 W/m 2 when mixing artificial seawater and river water. This new salt-tolerant gradient polyelectrolyte hydrogel provides a promising way to recover energy from seawater and wastewater.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源科学
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Nature Communications
·
2024
·Vol. 15
·期 1
·1-10
·
IF 14.7
Zou Kehan,Ling Haoyang,Wang Qingchen,Zhu Congcong,Zhang Zhehua,Huang Dehua,Li Ke,Wu Yuge,Xin Weiwen,Kong Xiang-Yu,Jiang Lei,Wen Liping
Two-dimensional (2D) nanofluidic channels with confined transport pathways and abundant surface functional groups have been extensively investigated to achieve osmotic energy harvesting. However, solely relying on intrinsic interlayer channels results in insufficient permeability, thereby limiting the output power densities, which poses a significant challenge to the widespread application of these materials. Herein, we present a nanoconfined sacrificial template (NST) strategy to create a crafted channel structure, termed as Turing-type nanochannels, within the membrane. Extrinsic interlaced channels are formed between the lamellae using copper hydroxide nanowires as sacrificial templates. These Turing-type nanochannels significantly increase transport pathways and functional areas, resulting in a 23% enhancement in ionic current while maintaining a cation selectivity of 0.91. The output power density of the Turing-type nanochannel membrane increases from 3.9 to 5.9 W m −2 and remains stable for at least 120 hours. This membrane exhibits enhanced applicability in real saltwater environments across China, achieving output power densities of 7.7 W m −2 in natural seawater and 9.8 W m −2 in salt-lake brine. This work demonstrates the promising potential of the Turing-channel design for nanoconfined ionic transport in the energy conversion field.
研究领域:
材料科学
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能源转换技术
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纳米流体动力学
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
Small
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2025
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IF 12.1
Yixuan Li,Shuyu Li,Wenyi Guo,Donghe Sun,Xingyu Yu,Kesong Liu,Zhaoyue Liu
The development of low-cost and environment friendly ion-selective nanofluidic membranes with a high-performance is necessary for osmotic power generation. Natural bamboo membranes with a layered structure provides water and nutrients transport channels for bamboo growth. Here, we introduce ionized phosphate groups into natural bamboo membranes through a urea-assisted dehydration reaction between the hydroxyl groups in cellulose and phosphoric acid. The phosphorylated bamboo membrane exhibits surface-charge-governed ion transport with a cationic selectivity. When applied for osmotic energy harvesting, it achieves a power density of 6.42 W/m 2 under a 50-fold salinity gradient formed by 0.5/0.01 m KCl, and a rising value of 22.1 W/m 2 in hypersaline water, outperforming reported synthetic cellulose membranes and natural membranes. A tandem stack of 24 units produces 1.8 V voltage, serving as the power source for a calculator. Our work presents a promising strategy for developing sustainable nanofluidic membranes from nature for efficient osmotic energy conversion.
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产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
COMPOSITES PART B-ENGINEERING
·
2025
·
IF 14.2
Runyu Duan,Xiaoyan Ma,Bohan Ding,Xingrong Zhang,Biao Kong,Jian Liu,Lei Jiang,Chao Teng
Osmotic energy has emerged as a highly promising renewable energy source due to its abundant reserves, environmental sustainability, and widespread availability. While the influences of conventional environmental factors such as temperature and pH on the performance of osmotic energy conversion membranes have been extensively studied, their performance and stability under harsh mechanical conditions, such as ultrasonic vibration, puncture, and stretching, remain poorly understood. To overcome this limitation, we developed innovative MXene/poly( p -phenylene-benzodioxazole) nanofibers (PBONF)-polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) (MXP-PSS) composite membranes by integrating rigid PSS-functionalized PBONF with negatively charged MXene nanosheets using a precisely regulated surface charge modification and interfacial engineering strategy. The resulting membrane exhibits exceptional mechanical properties with a longitudinal tensile strength of 299.27 ± 8.20 MPa and transverse puncture resistance of 1057.65 KPa, which is far superior to that of pure MXene membranes, as corroborated by finite element simulation. More importantly, the membrane demonstrates superior osmotic energy conversion performance, achieving peak power densities of 15.18 W/m 2 and 67.57 W/m 2 under 50-fold and 500-fold salinity gradients, respectively, while maintaining excellent ion selectivity (0.87 and 0.79) . Notably, the membrane retains stable power generation even under extreme conditions including ultrasonic vibration, mechanical stretching, and wide pH ranges , demonstrating unprecedented environmental durability. This work presents a breakthrough in developing highly mechanical, charge-tunable nanofluidic membranes for efficient osmotic energy harvesting in complex environments.
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产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
·
2025
·
IF 9
Rongzhe Nie,Chengfu Zhong,Qimin Yuan,Yu Dai,Fan Xia,Xiaojin Zhang
Osmotic energy from salinity gradients is a promising sustainable and clean energy source. Traditional nanofluidic membranes used for salinity gradient energy conversion face an intrinsic compromise between structural stability (achieved by intra-channel confinement) and low resistance (requiring extra-channel ion acceleration). Here, we propose a hybrid (FEH@AAO) membrane with fully encapsulated hydrogel (FEH) onto porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) nanochannels that integrates rigid nanochannel confinement with an external hydrogel ion diffusion network. The hydrogel grows continuously inside and outside AAO nanochannels, while inhibiting swelling deformation (enhancing mechanical robustness) and reducing mass transfer resistance (acting as an “ion accelerator”). Under a 50-fold NaCl gradient, FEH@AAO membrane achieves a power density of 8.84 W/m 2 , which is 28 % higher than traditional designs. The internal resistance has decreased by 35 %. In a natural seawater/river water mixture, it maintains ∼90 % power output over 7 days, outperforming most reported membranes. This work presents a structural optimization strategy that, by optimizing mass transfer outside nanochannels, achieves low ion transport resistance and exceptional long-term structural integrity for osmotic energy conversion.
研究领域:
纳米流体力学
·
能源材料
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膜科学与技术
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环境能源工程
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电化学能量转换
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
高影响因子
Frontiers in Chemistry
·
2024
·
IF 3.8
Cao Licheng,Wu Huiqing
Osmotic energy harvesting was a promising way to alleviate energy crisis with reverse electrodialysis (RED) membrane-based technology. Charged hydrogel combined with other materials was an effective strategy to overcome problems, including restricted functional groups and complicated fabrication, but the effect of the respective charges of the two materials combined on the membrane properties has rarely been studied in depth. Herein, a new method was proposed that charged hydrogel was equipped with charged filter paper to form dual network fiber-hydrogel membrane for osmotic energy harvesting, which had excellent ion selectivity (beyond 0.9 under high concentration gradient), high ion transference number and energy conversion efficiency (beyond 32.5% under wide range concentration gradient), good property of osmotic energy conversion (∼4.84 W/m2 under 50-fold KCl and ∼6.75 W/m2 under simulated sea water and river water). Moreover, the power density was attributed to the surface-space charge synergistic effect from large amounts overlapping of electric double layer (EDL), so that the transmembrane ion transport was enhanced. It might be a valid mode to extensively develop the osmotic energy harvesting.
研究领域:
材料科学
·
能源技术
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环境工程
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）