Citation: Minghui Chen, Mile Liu, Yushan He, Ding Wu, Lingling Wei, Di Wu. Pressure holds the key: decoding osmotic pressure[J]. University Chemistry, ;2026, 41(7): 373-384. doi: 10.12461/PKU.DXHX202505046 shu

Pressure holds the key: decoding osmotic pressure

Minghui Chen ¹ ,
Mile Liu ¹ ,
Yushan He ¹ ,
Ding Wu ¹ ,
Lingling Wei ¹ ,
Di Wu ^2,,

1.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi Province, China;
2.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi Province, China

Corresponding author: Di Wu, wud@snnu.edu.cn
Received Date: 15 May 2025
Revised Date: 30 July 2025

Osmotic pressure plays a pivotal role across diverse domains including nature, daily life, industrial production, and scientific technology, exerting profound influences on biological processes and societal progress. This article elucidates the microscopic mechanisms underlying osmotic pressure, encompassing the differential movement of solvent molecules across semipermeable membranes, chemical potential gradients, and solvent permeation driven by colligative properties. The work provides detailed descriptions of the discovery and measurement methods for both osmotic pressure and reverse osmosis, while highlighting their applications in wastewater treatment, seawater desalination, gas separation, agricultural irrigation, and salinity gradient power generation.
- Osmotic pressure,
- Semipermeable membrane,
- Chemical potential,
- Colligative properties,
- Reverse osmosis,
- Hemodialysis,
- Salinity gradient power generation
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