Janus carbon nitride membrane for robust and enhanced nanofluidic power generation from wastewater

Nanofluidic membranes have shown great promise in harvesting osmotic power. Yet, previous studies extensively focused on osmotic energy released by the mixing of seawater and river water, while there exist many other osmotic energy sources, such as the mixing of wastewater with other water. However, harvesting the osmotic power of wastewater is highly challenging because it requires the membranes to have environmental remediation capabilities to avoid pollution and biofouling, which has not been satisfied by previous nanofluidic materials. In this work, we demonstrate that a Janus carbon nitride membrane can be used for simultaneous power generation and water purification. The Janus structure of the membrane generates asymmetric band structure and therefore a built-in electric field, facilitating electron-hole separation. As a result, the membrane shows strong photocatalytic capability, which efficiently degrades organic pollutants and kills microorganisms. In particular, the built-in electric field also facilitates ionic transport, significantly promoting the osmotic power density up to 30 W/m2 under simulated sunlight illumination. The power generation performance can be robustly kept with or without the presence of pollutants. This study will shed light on the development of multi-functional power generation materials for the comprehensive utilization of industrial wastewater as well as domestic sewage.