TY - JOUR
T1 - Nanofluidics for osmotic energy conversion
AU - Zhang, Zhen
AU - Wen, Liping
AU - Jiang, Lei
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0206904, 2017YFA0206900) and the National Natural Science Foundation (21625303, 21905287, 21988102). Z.Z. acknowledges the support of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, Springer Nature Limited.
PY - 2021/7
Y1 - 2021/7
N2 - The osmotic pressure difference between river water and seawater is a promising source of renewable energy. However, current osmotic energy conversion processes show limited power output, mainly owing to the low performance of commercial ion-exchange membranes. Nanofluidic channels with tailored ion transport dynamics enable high-performance reverse electrodialysis to efficiently harvest renewable osmotic energy. In this Review, we discuss ion diffusion through nanofluidic channels and investigate the rational design and optimization of advanced membrane architectures. We highlight how the structure and charge distribution can be tailored to minimize resistance and promote energy conversion, and examine the possibility of integrating nanofluidic osmotic energy conversion with other technologies, such as desalination and water splitting. Finally, we give an outlook to future applications and discuss challenges that need to be overcome to enable large-scale, real-world applications.
AB - The osmotic pressure difference between river water and seawater is a promising source of renewable energy. However, current osmotic energy conversion processes show limited power output, mainly owing to the low performance of commercial ion-exchange membranes. Nanofluidic channels with tailored ion transport dynamics enable high-performance reverse electrodialysis to efficiently harvest renewable osmotic energy. In this Review, we discuss ion diffusion through nanofluidic channels and investigate the rational design and optimization of advanced membrane architectures. We highlight how the structure and charge distribution can be tailored to minimize resistance and promote energy conversion, and examine the possibility of integrating nanofluidic osmotic energy conversion with other technologies, such as desalination and water splitting. Finally, we give an outlook to future applications and discuss challenges that need to be overcome to enable large-scale, real-world applications.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85104253248&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41578-021-00300-4
DO - 10.1038/s41578-021-00300-4
M3 - Review Article
AN - SCOPUS:85104253248
SN - 2058-8437
VL - 6
SP - 622
EP - 639
JO - Nature Reviews Materials
JF - Nature Reviews Materials
IS - 7
ER -
