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Synthesis of Ionic Liquid Based Electrolytes, Assembly of Li-ion Batteries, and Measurements of Performance at High Temperature

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Osmotic Heat Engine Using Thermally Responsive Ionic Liquids.

Yujiang Zhong¹, Xinbo Wang¹, Xiaoshuang Feng¹

¹Division of Physical Science and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , Thuwal, 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.

Environmental Science & Technology

|July 12, 2017

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Thermally responsive ionic liquids (TRILs) offer a novel approach for osmotic heat engines (OHEs). These TRILs demonstrate significant potential for efficient low-grade heat to electricity conversion.

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Area of Science:

Materials Science
Chemical Engineering
Thermodynamics

Background:

Osmotic heat engines (OHEs) are emerging technologies for low-grade heat utilization.
Current OHE research predominantly uses thermolytic salt systems.
A need exists for advanced thermolytic agents to improve OHE efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

To introduce thermally responsive ionic liquids (TRILs) as novel agents for OHEs.
To investigate the feasibility of closed-loop TRIL-based OHEs.
To evaluate the performance of TRILs with upper critical solution temperature (UCST) and lower critical solution temperature (LCST) phase behaviors.

Main Methods:

Design and construction of closed-loop OHE systems utilizing UCST-type TRILs.
Experimental testing of [Hbet][Tf2N] and [choline][Tf2N] TRILs.
Performance evaluation including specific energy, power density, and energy efficiency.

Main Results:

TRIL-OHEs achieved specific energy up to 4.0 times higher than seawater/river water systems.
Power density reached 2.3 W/m² using a commercial forward osmosis (FO) membrane.
Overall energy efficiency reached up to 10.5% (71% of Carnot efficiency) with 70% heat recovery.

Conclusions:

TRILs are effective novel osmotic agents for OHE applications.
TRIL-based OHEs show significant potential for efficient low-grade heat recovery.
This technology offers a promising pathway for converting waste heat into electricity.