A novel thin film composite (TFC) membrane was developed
to simultaneously
achieve high energy density and mechanical robustness for osmotic
energy generation (OEG). The composite membrane is composed of a poly(vinyl
alcohol) (PVA) aerogel substrate and a thin sulfonated poly(ether
ether ketone)/graphene (SPEEK/G) top layer. The PVA support offers
excellent mechanical stability, flexibility, and high water permeability,
and the mixed matrix skin layer amplifies the differential diffusion
rates of cations and anions across the TFC membrane. As a result,
the TFC membrane manages to achieve a high power density of ca. 5.89
W m–2 under a salinity gradient of 50 (0.5 M|0.01
M, NaCl). Furthermore, the energy generation device can maintain the
high power output for 4 days or under 300 P pressure, indicating excellent
long-term stability and mechanical durability. The work thus provides
a new membrane technology to prepare high-performance materials for
osmotic energy harvesting application.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.