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Artificial light-driven ion pump for photoelectric energy conversion.
- Source :
- Nature Communications; 1/8/2019, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p1-1, 1p
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Biological light-driven ion pumps move ions against a concentration gradient to create a membrane potential, thus converting sunlight energy directly into an osmotic potential. Here, we describe an artificial light-driven ion pump system in which a carbon nitride nanotube membrane can drive ions thermodynamically uphill against an up to 5000-fold concentration gradient by illumination. The separation of electrons and holes in the membrane under illumination results in a transmembrane potential which is thought to be the foundation for the pumping phenomenon. When used for harvesting solar energy, a sustained open circuit voltage of 550 mV and a current density of 2.4 μA/cm<superscript>2</superscript> can reliably be generated, which can be further scaled up through series and parallel circuits of multiple membranes. The ion transport based photovoltaic system proposed here offers a roadmap for the development of devices by using simple, cheap, and stable polymeric carbon nitride. Biological light-driven ion pumps move ions against a concentration gradient to create a membrane potential, converting sunlight into an osmotic potential. Here, the authors make an artificial ion pump which drives ions thermodynamically uphill against a large concentration gradient upon illumination, which can be used for harvesting solar energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 20411723
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Nature Communications
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 134037640
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-08029-5