(262au) Influence of Ionic Activity on the Osmotic Energy Generation in a Nanotube

In this study, the salinity gradient-driven energy conversion by the reverse electrodialysis (RED) in a nanotube is theoretically investigated with taking into account the activity of ionic species, which is different from the previous studies where the activity was neglected. The influences of salinity gradients on the osmotic current, diffusion potential, transference number of cations, maximum power density, and maximum energy conversion efficiency in a nanotube are comprehensively investigated. Results show that the osmotic current and the maximum power density calculated from the present model with considering the activity of ionic species is smaller than those from the existing model without considering the activity of ionic species. However, the reverse trends are observed for the results of transference number of cations and the maximum energy conversion efficiency. The relative deviations of the maximum power density and energy conversion efficiency between the results with and without considering the activity of ionic species can be on the order as high as ca. 12 %.