Salinity gradient induced blue energy generation using two-dimensional membranes

Abstract

Salinity gradient energy (SGE), known as blue energy is harvested from mixing seawater with river water in a controlled way using ion exchange membranes (IEMs). Using 2D materials as IEMs improves the output power density from a few Wm−2 to a few thousands of Wm−2 over conventional membranes. In this review, we survey the efforts taken to employ the different 2D materials as nanoporous or lamellar membranes for SGE and provide a comprehensive analysis of the fundamental principles behind the SGE. Overall, this review is anticipated to explain how the 2D materials can make SGE a viable source of energy.