AUTHOR=Fu Yuyang , Chen Zhibo , Zhang Yating , Xie Bichen 

TITLE=Assembly of vermiculite/SnO2 composite membranes with high ion selectivity for enhancing osmotic energy conversion performance

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Materials

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/materials/articles/10.3389/fmats.2025.1648638

DOI=10.3389/fmats.2025.1648638

ISSN=2296-8016

ABSTRACT=For osmotic energy harvesting based on nanofluidic membranes, aqueous instability, less-than-optimal ion selectivity, and moderately high internal resistance can somewhat restrict its performance advancement. This study develops a novel composite membrane combining 2D SnO2 and vermiculite (VMT) nanosheets to balance permeability and ion selectivity, boosting power density. The optimized membrane achieves an output power density of 0.727 W m-2 using simulated saltwater/river water, offering a promising solution for efficient osmotic energy conversion.