Osmotic energy conversion with low impedance using an ultrasmall MoS2 nanosheet composite membrane
Abstract
A 2D nanomaterial membrane exhibits promising applications for salinity gradient energy harvesting. However, low porosity and a long path in the 2D nanomaterial membrane lead to high impedance for ion transport which causes poor performance. Herein, we demonstrate a composite membrane containing ultrasmall MoS2 nanosheets (∼100 nm) and cellulose nanofibres with a short ion transport path for osmotic energy conversion. The size effects of MoS2 nanosheets on the performance were studied, which proved small nanosheets can improve the performance of power generation. Ultrasmall MoS2 nanosheets in the membrane provide a short path for ion transport, decreasing the membrane's impedance. This membrane can provide a power density of 2.3 W m−2 with a resistance of 48 kΩ at room temperature. This work demonstrates that decreasing the ion transport path in 2D nanomaterial membranes is a promising strategy to decrease the resistance of membranes for osmotic power generation.