Sustainable Cellulose Enables Blue Energy Toward Osmotic Energy Conversion.

Yingchao Wang, Jianping Shi, Qianhong Zhang, Hui Wu, Qingxian Miao, Liulian Huang, Lihui Chen, Yonghao Ni, Jianguo Li

Abstract readReview

In one paragraph

Review in Nano-micro letters, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Yingchao Wang *College of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Jianping Shi *College of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Qianhong ZhangCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Hui WuCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Qingxian MiaoCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Liulian HuangCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China.

Lihui ChenCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China. lihuichen@fafu.edu.cn.

Yonghao NiCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China. yonghao@unb.ca.

Jianguo LiCollege of Material Engineering, National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Plant Fiber Functional Materials, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, People's Republic of China. jianguolicn@fafu.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The development of osmotic energy technologies offers a sustainable and renewable pathway to address global energy shortages and environmental challenges. Cellulose-based membranes have been increasingly recognized for their remarkable potential in osmotic energy conversion, owing to their intrinsic ion-selective transport properties, structural and chemical tunability. This outstanding performance is primarily attributed to the renewable origin, versatile surface chemistry, and mechanical robustness of cellulose, which collectively facilitate the design of sustainable and durable ion-conducting membranes. This review highlights recent advances in the design and application of cellulose-based membranes for salinity-gradient energy harvesting, with an emphasis on material composition, nanoscale structural engineering, surface functionalization, and optimization of the ion transport approach. Despite these advances, key challenges that hinder further performance enhancement are identified and critically discussed, along with potential strategies for practical large-scale implementation. Furthermore, recent advances in nanoarchitectonic design and chemical functionalization have demonstrated significant improvements in power density, long-term operational stability, and overall membrane performance under diverse salinity and environmental conditions, underscoring the promise of cellulose-based membranes for next-generation blue energy technologies.

Indexed as

CelluloseIon-selective transportNanofluidic membraneOsmotic energy conversionStructural and chemical distinction

Identifiers

PMID42159986

DOI10.1007/s40820-026-02213-9

PMCPMC13191020

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.