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Anomalous Channel‐Length Dependence in Nanofluidic Osmotic Energy Conversion
Author(s) -
Cao Liuxuan,
Xiao Feilong,
Feng Yaping,
Zhu Weiwei,
Geng Wenxiao,
Yang Jinlei,
Zhang Xiaopeng,
Li Ning,
Guo Wei,
Jiang Lei
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201604302
Subject(s) - materials science , nanofluidics , concentration polarization , energy transformation , energy conversion efficiency , nanotechnology , osmotic power , ion , channel (broadcasting) , optoelectronics , thermodynamics , membrane , chemistry , forward osmosis , telecommunications , physics , computer science , biochemistry , organic chemistry , reverse osmosis
Recent advances in materials science and nanotechnology have lead to considerable interest in constructing ion‐channel‐mimetic nanofluidic systems for energy conversion and storage. The conventional viewpoint suggests that to gain high electrical energy, the longitudinal dimension of the nanochannels ( L ) should be reduced so as to bring down the resistance for ion transport and provide high ionic flux. Here, counterintuitive channel‐length dependence is described in nanofluidic osmotic power generation. For short nanochannels (with length L < 400 nm), the converted electric power persistently decreases with the decreasing channel length, showing an anomalous, non‐Ohmic response. The combined thermodynamic analysis and numerical simulation prove that the excessively short channel length impairs the charge selectivity of the nanofluidic channels and induces strong ion concentration polarization. These two factors eventually undermine the osmotic power generation and its energy conversion efficiency. Therefore, the optimal channel length should be between 400 and 1000 nm in order to maximize the electric power, while balancing the efficiency. These findings reveal the importance of a long‐overlooked element, the channel length, in nanofluidic energy conversion and provide guidance to the design of high‐performance nanofluidic energy devices.