Solar-Enhanced Blue Energy Conversion via Photo-electric/thermal in GO/MoS₂/CNC Nanofluidic Membranes

In recent years, light-controlled ion transport systems have attracted widespread attention, however, the use of photoresponsive materials suffers from rapid carrier recombination, thermal field limitations, and narrow spectral response, which significantly restricts their performance enhancement in osmotic energy conversion. This study innovatively couples "blue energy" (osmotic energy) with "green energy" (solar energy), assembling graphene oxide/molybdenum disulfide/sulfonated cellulose nanocrystal (GO/ MoS₂/CNC) ion-channel membranes. Under solar irradiation, the energy level difference between MoS₂ and GO effectively suppresses the recombination of photogenerated carriers, generating more active electrons and significantly enhancing the carrier density, thereby improving the current flux and ion selectivity. Meanwhile, their photothermal effects accelerate ion diffusion rates. The solar-enhanced osmotic energy conversion system achieves an output power density of 8.74 W m^-2, representing a 78.4% enhancement without illumination, and generates an ultrahigh photoresponsive current of 71.5 µA in 1 m KCl solution. This work provides new inspiration for solar-enhanced ion channel osmotic energy conversion, demonstrating a novel approach to achieving efficient power generation through photo-electric/thermal effects.