Issue 13, 2021

Improving the efficiency of electrokinetic conversion in nanofluidics with graphene-engineered surface

Abstract

Nanofluidic electrokinetic systems have attracted increasing interest in view of their potential in miniaturized electricity generation and mass transport, but suffer from low efficiency. In this work, we propose a novel approach to boost the energy efficiency of electrokinetic devices by simply engineering the solid–liquid interface with single-layer graphene. Through molecular dynamics simulation and theoretical analysis, we demonstrate that the graphene engineered interface allows for strong slip flow, which commonly exists on hydrophobic surfaces, and high surface charge, which only exists on hydrophilic surfaces. The flow boundary and surface electrical charge are decoupled on such a uniquely heterogeneous surface. Owing to the decoupling, we demonstrate that the energy efficiency of a streaming generator can be enhanced by a factor of 20–100 at different charge densities, which suggests a general and effective strategy to promote the efficiency of a series of electrokinetic devices, such as nanofluidic generators and osmotic pumps.

Graphical abstract: Improving the efficiency of electrokinetic conversion in nanofluidics with graphene-engineered surface

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
08 5 2021
Accepted
27 5 2021
First published
03 6 2021

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021,5, 3292-3297

Improving the efficiency of electrokinetic conversion in nanofluidics with graphene-engineered surface

J. Pei, B. Chen, X. Liu, J. Huang, X. Hu and K. Liu, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2021, 5, 3292 DOI: 10.1039/D1SE00717C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements