Light-responsive and ultrapermeable two-dimensional metal-organic framework membrane for efficient ionic energy harvesting

Jin Wang; Zeyuan Song; Miaolu He; Yongchao Qian; Di Wang; Zheng Cui; Yuan Feng; Shangzhen Li; Bo Huang; Xiangyu Kong; Jinming Han; Lei Wang

doi:10.1038/s41467-024-46439-w

Light-responsive and ultrapermeable two-dimensional metal-organic framework membrane for efficient ionic energy harvesting

Nat Commun. 2024 Mar 8;15(1):2125. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-46439-w.

Authors

Jin Wang¹, Zeyuan Song², Miaolu He², Yongchao Qian³, Di Wang², Zheng Cui², Yuan Feng², Shangzhen Li², Bo Huang⁴, Xiangyu Kong⁵, Jinming Han², Lei Wang⁶

Affiliations

¹ Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13 Yan Ta Road, Xi'an, 710000, China. wangjin@xauat.edu.cn.
² Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13 Yan Ta Road, Xi'an, 710000, China.
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China.
⁴ Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, No. 28, West Xianning Road, Xi'an, 710049, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Bio-inspired Materials and Interfacial Science, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 29 Zhongguancun East Road, Beijing, 100190, China. kongxiangyu@mail.ipc.ac.cn.
⁶ Research Institute of Membrane Separation Technology of Shaanxi Province, Key Laboratory of Membrane Separation of Shaanxi Province, School of Environmental & Municipal Engineering, Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology, No. 13 Yan Ta Road, Xi'an, 710000, China. wl0178@126.com.

Abstract

Nanofluidic membranes offer exceptional promise for osmotic energy conversion, but the challenge of balancing ionic selectivity and permeability persists. Here, we present a bionic nanofluidic system based on two-dimensional (2D) copper tetra-(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin framework (Cu-TCPP). The inherent nanoporous structure and horizontal interlayer channels endow the Cu-TCPP membrane with ultrahigh ion permeability and allow for a power density of 16.64 W m^-2, surpassing state of-the-art nanochannel membranes. Moreover, leveraging the photo-thermal property of Cu-TCPP, light-controlled ion active transport is realized even under natural sunlight. By combining solar energy with salinity gradient, the driving force for ion transport is reinforced, leading to further improvements in energy conversion performance. Notably, light could even eliminate the need for salinity gradient, achieving a power density of 0.82 W m^-2 in a symmetric solution system. Our work introduces a new perspective on developing advanced membranes for solar/ionic energy conversion and extends the concept of salinity energy to a notion of ionic energy.