Tailoring A Poly(ether sulfone) Bipolar Membrane: Osmotic‐Energy Generator with High Power Density

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition Vol. 59; no. 40; pp. 17423 - 17428
• Main Authors: Sun, Yue, Dong, Tiandu, Lu, Chunxin, Xin, Weiwen, Yang, Linsen, Liu, Pei, Qian, Yongchao, Zhao, Yuanyuan, Kong, Xiang‐Yu, Wen, Liping, Jiang, Lei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 28.09.2020
• Edition: International ed. in English
• Subjects: Aromatic compounds; Asymmetry; Electric power generation; electrochemistry; Energy; Energy conversion; Functional groups; ion exchange; Ion transport; Maximum power density; Membranes; osmotic energy; Phase separation; Polymers; Renewable energy; Saline solutions; Sustainability; membranes; energy conversion; electrochemistry; ion exchange; osmotic energy
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.202006320

Osmotic energy, obtained through different concentrations of salt solutions, is recognized as a form of a sustainable energy source. In the past years, membranes derived from asymmetric aromatic compounds have attracted attention because of their low cost and high performance in osmotic energy conversion. The membrane formation process, charging state, functional groups, membrane thickness, and the ion‐exchange capacity of the membrane could affect the power generation performance. Among asymmetric membranes, a bipolar membrane could largely promote the ion transport. Here, two polymers with the same poly(ether sulfone) main chain but opposite charges were synthesized to prepare bipolar membranes by a nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS) and spin‐coating (SC) method. The maximum power density of the bipolar membrane reaches about 6.2 W m−2 under a 50‐fold salinity gradient, and this result can serve as a reference for the design of bipolar membranes for osmotic energy conversion systems. Herein, a new bipolar membrane, with different functional groups in the poly(ether sulfone) chain, is fabricated by a nonsolvent‐induced phase separation (NIPS) and spin‐coating (SC) method. The asymmetric structure helps to form distinct ion rectification and results in good power generation performance.