Volume 43, Issue 7 pp. 814-822
Comprehensive Report

Space Charge Improved Poly(Aryl Ether Sulfone) Composite Membrane for Osmotic Energy Conversion

Jundong Zhong

Jundong Zhong

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Hongyan Qi

Hongyan Qi

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Tingting Xu

Tingting Xu

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Weibo Sun

Weibo Sun

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Zhe Zhao

Zhe Zhao

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Haibo Zhang

Haibo Zhang

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Xuanbo Zhu

Corresponding Author

Xuanbo Zhu

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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Zhenhua Jiang

Zhenhua Jiang

National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Synthetic Technology of High-Performance Polymer, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, 130012 China

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First published: 16 January 2025

Comprehensive Summary

The ion-selective porous membrane is the key component in osmotic energy conversion, and optimizing its permeability and selectivity is crucial for improving output performance. Here, to construct a permeability and selectivity synergistically enhanced osmotic energy generator, the surface and space charge synergistically enhanced 3D composite membrane is prepared by inserting sulfonated hydrogels into the 3D ion channels with tunable surface charge. The membrane's selectivity is improved from 0.66 to 0.94 by increasing the charge density on the membrane surface and the spatial charge density of the membrane. The experimental and simulation results showed that the synergistic enhancement of the spatial and surface charges significantly improved the electrostatic interactions between the ions and the ion channels, which led to the enhancement of selectivity, net ionic fluxes, and output performance. The space charge improved composite membrane presents an advanced power density of about 6.4 W·m–2 under a 50-fold concentration gradient, which is nearly 2 times that of the phase inversion membrane without hydrogels. Our study provides a promising solution for constructing high-performance osmotic energy generators.

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