TY - JOUR
T1 - High-performance silk-based hybrid membranes employed for osmotic energy conversion
AU - Xin, Weiwen
AU - Zhang, Zhen
AU - Huang, Xiaodong
AU - Hu, Yuhao
AU - Zhou, Teng
AU - Zhu, Congcong
AU - Kong, Xiang Yu
AU - Jiang, Lei
AU - Wen, Liping
PY - 2019/8/28
Y1 - 2019/8/28
N2 - The salinity gradient between seawater and river water is a clean energy source and an alternative solution for the increasing energy demands. A membrane-based reverse electrodialysis technique is a promising strategy to convert osmotic energy to electricity. To overcome the limits of traditional membranes with low efficiency and high resistance, nanofluidic is an emerging technique to promote osmotic energy harvesting. Here, we engineer a high-performance nanofluidic device with a hybrid membrane composed of a silk nanofibril membrane and an anodic aluminum oxide membrane. The silk nanofibril membrane, as a screening layer with condensed negative surface and nanochannels, dominates the ion transport; the anodic aluminum oxide membrane, as a supporting substrate, offers tunable channels and amphoteric groups. Thus, a nanofluidic membrane with asymmetric geometry and charge polarity is established, showing low resistance, high-performance energy conversion, and long-term stability. The system paves avenues for sustainable power generation, water purification, and desalination.
AB - The salinity gradient between seawater and river water is a clean energy source and an alternative solution for the increasing energy demands. A membrane-based reverse electrodialysis technique is a promising strategy to convert osmotic energy to electricity. To overcome the limits of traditional membranes with low efficiency and high resistance, nanofluidic is an emerging technique to promote osmotic energy harvesting. Here, we engineer a high-performance nanofluidic device with a hybrid membrane composed of a silk nanofibril membrane and an anodic aluminum oxide membrane. The silk nanofibril membrane, as a screening layer with condensed negative surface and nanochannels, dominates the ion transport; the anodic aluminum oxide membrane, as a supporting substrate, offers tunable channels and amphoteric groups. Thus, a nanofluidic membrane with asymmetric geometry and charge polarity is established, showing low resistance, high-performance energy conversion, and long-term stability. The system paves avenues for sustainable power generation, water purification, and desalination.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85071389425&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41467-019-11792-8
DO - 10.1038/s41467-019-11792-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 31462636
AN - SCOPUS:85071389425
VL - 10
JO - Nature Communications
JF - Nature Communications
SN - 2041-1723
IS - 1
M1 - 3876
ER -