Improved Ion Transport and High Energy Conversion through Hydrogel Membrane with 3D Interconnected Nanopores.

To mimic and use the functions of the ion transport system that are central to biological processes, bioinspired ion-selective membranes are developed and show great potential in a variety of fields. However, the practical applications of them are now limited due to low pore density, low conductivity, or scale-up difficulty. Herein, we demonstrate a 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (HEMAP) hydrogel membrane with 3D interconnected nanopores and space charged through simple photopolymerization. The HEMAP hydrogel membrane exhibits high conductance and outstanding ion selectivity, and the membrane-based osmotic power generator shows the excellent output power density up to 5.38 W/m2. Both experimentally and theoretically, the 3D interconnected structure is revealed to play a key role in enhancing charge-governed ion transport and energy conversion. This work highlights the advantages of 3D interconnected nanopores in ion diffusion and shows the potential of our designed hydrogel membrane in osmotic energy conversion, water desalination, and sensors.

Citation

Weipeng Chen, Qin Wang, Jianjun Chen, Qianru Zhang, Xiaolu Zhao, Yongchao Qian, Congcong Zhu, Linsen Yang, Yuanyuan Zhao, Xiang-Yu Kong, Benzhuo Lu, Lei Jiang, Liping Wen. Improved Ion Transport and High Energy Conversion through Hydrogel Membrane with 3D Interconnected Nanopores. Nano letters. 2020 Aug 12;20(8):5705-5713

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PMID: 32692569

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