Electricity generation across graphene oxide membranes

Abstract Currently, energy conversion methods in nanochannels have been developed for both fundamental sciences and technological applications. Graphene oxide membranes with excellent properties possess potential applications in numerous fields. Due to the confinement of nanocapillaries within graphene oxide membranes and the mobility difference of ions, an electricity generation process has been achieved using graphene oxide membranes. In this study, for the first time, the influence of source concentration, applied pressure and membrane thickness was investigated on electricity generation in aqueous environment. The results revealed that these three factors could successfully control the electricity generation with graphene oxide membranes. Electrical potential difference would become larger with increasing the source concentration and membrane thickness. In contrast, the applied pressure was not well-suited to capture energy from sources. This provided new insights into the design and utilization of graphene oxide films for highly efficient energy harvesting.