Ultrathin and Ultrastrong Kevlar Aramid Nanofiber Membranes for Highly Stable Osmotic Energy Conversion

Abstract

Abstract An ion‐selective membrane can directly convert the osmotic energy to electricity through reverse electrodialysis. However, developing an advanced membrane that simultaneously possesses high power density, excellent mechanical strength, and convenient large‐scale production for practical osmotic energy conversion, remains challenging. Here, the fabrication of ultrathin and ultrastrong Kevlar aramid nanofiber (KANF) membranes with interconnected three‐dimensional (3D) nanofluidic channels via a simple blade coating method is reported. The negatively charged 3D nanochannels show typical surface‐charge‐governed nanofluidic ion transport and exhibit excellent cation selectivity. When applied to osmotic energy conversion, the power density of the KANF membrane‐based generator reaches 4.8 W m–2 (seawater/river water) and can be further increased to 13.8 W m–2 at 328 K, which are higher than most of the state‐of‐the‐art membranes. Importantly, a 4‐µm‐thickness KANF membrane shows ultrahigh tensile strength (565 MPa) and Young's modulus (25 GPa). This generator also exhibits ultralong stability over 120 days, showing great potential in practical energy conversions.

Keywords

• ion selective
• Kevlar aramid nanofiber
• membrane
• nanofluidic
• osmotic energy