An international group of scientists from Russia,France, and Germany have developed ion-exchange synthetic membranes based on amphiphilic compounds that are able to convert the energy of chemical reactions into electrical current. The original development, and described in the journal Physical Chemistry,Chemical Physics could potentially be used in fuel cells, and in separation and purification processes. The study was conducted by MIPT's Laboratory of Functional biological and Hybrid Materials, and which was opened in 2014.
Source: phys.org