WJRLD

ECCNMIC

FORUM

IncollaborationwithFrontiers

Top10Emerging

Technologiesof2025

FLAGSHIPREPORTJUNE2025

Images:Midjourney,StudioMiko.Allimagesinthisreportweregeneratedusingartificialintelligence.

Contents

Foreword03

Buildingstrategicforesight04

Introduction05

Methodology06

1Structuralbatterycomposites

09

2Osmoticpowersystems1

2

3Advancednucleartechnologies1

5

4Engineeredlivingtherapeutics

18

5GLP-1sforneurodegenerativedisease2

1

6Autonomousbiochemicalsensing2

4

7Greennitrogenfixation

27

8Nanozymes3

0

9Collaborativesensing3

3

10Generativewatermarking3

6

Fromweaksignalstosocietaltransformation

39

Contributors4

0

Endnotes4

3

Disclaimer

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?2025WorldEconomicForum.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,includingphotocopyingandrecording,orbyanyinformation

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Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20252

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20253

June2025

Top10Emerging

Technologiesof2025

Foreword

FrederickFenter

ChiefExecutiveEditor,Frontiers

Everyyear,remarkableinnovationsemerge

fromresearchlabsaroundtheworld.Manyholdtremendouspromise,yettoofewsuccessfully

makethecriticalleapfromscientificdiscoverytoreal-worldapplication.For14years,theWorld

EconomicForumsTop10EmergingTechnologiesreporthasaimedtochangethatbyshininga

spotlightonbreakthroughtechnologieswiththepotentialnotonlytocrossthisthresholdbutalsotohelpsocietiesadaptandthriveinthefaceofcomplexchallenges.

Thisreportservesaclearpurpose:tocatalyse

forward-lookingdialoguesandshapetechnology

agendasbyconnectingcutting-edgeresearch

withthosewhocanhelpadvanceit.Byidentifyingtechnologiesattheirturningpointwherescientificachievementmeetspracticalpotentialweprovideleadersingovernment,businessandsciencewiththeinsightsneededtomakeforward-thinking

decisionsinarapidlyevolvinglandscape.

Ourworkarrivesatapivotalmoment.The

globalinnovationlandscapecontinuestoevolve,

withshiftingtraderelationships,supplychain

reconfigurationsandregionaldynamicscreating

newstrategicconsiderations.Inthiscontext,

thetechnologieshighlightedinthisreporttake

onadditionaldimensionsofimportance.Some

mayofferpathwaystogreaterself-sufficiency

andresilience;otherscouldserveasbridgesfor

essentialinternationalcollaborationdespitebroadertensions.Manyrepresentareaswheresharedglobalinterestsmattermorethanshort-termdifferences.

Eachtechnologyinthisreporthasbeencarefullyevaluatedbasedonitsnovelty,development

progressandtransformativepotential.From

materialsthatstoreenergywithintheirstructuretonewtreatmentsforneurodegenerativediseases,theseinnovationshavemovedbeyondtheoryanddemonstratedthecapacitytostrengthensocietysabilitytoadaptandthrive.

JeremyJurgens

ManagingDirector,

WorldEconomicForum

Whatmakesthisreportvaluableisthatwelookbeyondwhatthesetechnologiesaretoenvisionwhattheycouldcreate.Eachentryincludesastrategicoutlookthatillustratespossiblefuturesiftheseinnovationsreachtheirfullpotential.

DevelopedincollaborationwiththeDubaiFutureFoundation,theseforward-lookingscenarios

helpreadersseetransformativepossibilities

andinspirethecommitmentneededtomovethesetechnologiesfrompromisingconceptstowidespreadimplementation.

Thetechnologiesinthiseditionrevealexciting

patterns:combiningenergysystemswithadvancedmaterials,usingbiologicalapproachestoimprovehumanhealth,reimaginingindustrialprocesses

forsustainabilityandcreatingnewfoundationsfortrustinconnectedsystems.Eachrepresentsnotjustatechnicaladvance,butapathtowardsmoreresilientandsustainablesocieties.

ThisworkwouldnotbepossiblewithoutMariette

DiChristinaandBernardMeyerson,co-chairsofourEmergingTechnologiesSteeringCommittee.

Theirleadershiphasbeenessentialinshapingboththisreportandtheselectionprocessbehindit.

Weareequallygratefultooursteeringcommitteemembers,whosediverseexpertiseensureswe

identifytrulygroundbreakingtechnologieswiththepotentialtotransformourworld.

Asthereportcontinuestoevolve,thisyearwevealsointroducedecosystemreadinessmapsthatprovidepracticalguidanceonthespecificactionsneededtoscalethesetechnologiesfrompromisetoimpact.

Weofferthisreportnotasanendpoint,butasacalltoactionacatalystforthecollaborationessentialtohelpthesetechnologiesfulfiltheirpromise.Inaneraofunprecedentedchallengesanduncertainty,theseinnovationsgiveuspowerfultoolstoadapt,overcomeandthrive.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20254

Buildingstrategicforesight

H.E.KhalfanBelhoul

ChiefExecutiveOfficer,DubaiFutureFoundation

Strategicforesightisthedeliberateexplorationofpossiblefuturestoinformtoday’sdecisions.

Inaneraofacceleratingchange,foresightenablesleaderstomovebeyondshort-termthinking,

anticipatedisruptionanduncoveropportunitiesthatliebeyondtheimmediatehorizon.

Atitscore,strategicforesightrecognizesthat

technologicalinnovationcannotbeunderstoodthroughasingle,linearperspective.AttheDubaiFutureFoundation(DFF),weassessemerging

technologiesthroughthreesimultaneousandinterconnectedlenses:

Asanassumption

Technologicalprogresswillcontinuetoaccelerate.

Asanuncertainty

Technologiesareshapedbycomplexconstraints–infrastructurelimitations,energydemands,

policyshiftsandsocietalreadiness.

Asanenabler

Technologiesthatunderpinemergingmegatrendsandfutureopportunities.

Beyondmerelypredictingoutcomes,strategic

foresightunpacksthevariouspathwaysthrough

whichdifferentpossibilitiesmightunfold,revealinghowinnovationscantransformourcollectivefuture.

Inexploringthesetechnologies,weinvite

readerstolookbeyondtechnicalspecifications.

Eachinnovationrepresentsmorethanan

isolatedadvancement–itisasignalofbroader

transformationstakingshapeacrossourglobal

systems.Thesearenotjusttechnologies,but

potentialcatalystsforreimagininghowweaddresscomplexglobalchallenges.

Forthoseinterestedinadeeperexplorationof

eachtechnology’spotential,thestrategicoutlook

sectionsthatfolloweachdescriptionoffera

comprehensiveviewoftransformativepossibilitiesandstrategicimplications.Togroundthese

technologiesinthecontextofglobalchange,everyentryistaggedwithtwooftheDFFmegatrendsthataremostlikelytoenable,andbeenabledby,the

respectivetechnologywithinthenextdecade.

Byconnectingtheseemergingtechnologiesto

widercontextualframeworks,weaimtoprovideacomprehensiveviewthatbridgestechnicalpotentialwithhumanaspiration.Ourgoalisnottopresent

adefinitiveroadmap,buttosparkimagination,

encouragedialogueandconsidermultiplefuturesthatmightemergefromsomeoftoday’smost

promisinginnovations.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20255

Introduction

AmessagefromtheTop10EmergingTechnologiesSteeringGroupCo-Chairs.

MarietteDiChristina

DeanandProfessor,

BernardS.Meyerson

PracticeinJournalism,

ChiefInnovationOfficer

BostonUniversityCollege

Emeritus,IBM

ofCommunication

TheFourthIndustrialRevolutioncontinuesapace,

fillingthisyear’sTop10EmergingTechnologies

reportwithastrikingarrayofintegrativeadvancesthataddressglobalgapsandconcerns.Our

selectionreflectsthediversenatureoftechnologicalemergence–sometechnologies,likestructural

batterycomposites,representnovelapproaches

tolongstandingchallenges,whileothers,suchas

GLP-1s(glucagon-likepeptide-1)forneurodegenerativediseasesandadvancednucleartechnologies,

demonstratehowestablishedinnovationscanfindtransformativenewapplications.Eachrepresentsacriticalinflectionpointwherescientificachievement

meetspracticalpotentialforaddressingglobal

needs.(FormoreonhowtheFourthIndustrial

Revolutionsparks“wavesoffurtherbreakthroughs”,seethefinalchapterofthisreport,“Fromweak

signalstosocietaltransformation”.)

Take,forinstance,theintegrationofenergy

systemsandmaterials,whichprovidesdramatic

improvementsinfunctionalityandefficiencyasseeninthisyear’slist.Instructuralbatterycomposites,

transportgetsanupgradewith“massless”energysystemsthatblendintotheload-bearingelements.Turningtoothersourcesofenergy,advancesin

materialsforsemipermeablemembranesenable“saltpower”inosmoticpowersystems.Finally,inthesearchfornon-carbonenergysources,newdesignsfornext-generationnuclearpowerplantsarecomingonline.

Biotechnologyalsoofferssomestrikingadditions

tohumanhealthinthisyear’stop10.Biologically

basedinterventionsaregainingmomentumasbothtreatmentandmonitoringsolutions,movingbeyondtraditionalpharmaceuticalapproaches.Witness

engineeredlivingtherapeutics,microbesgeneticallyengineeredintolivingfactoriesthatcouldproduce

medicinesandothertherapeuticsubstancesas

neededbythebody.Anewclassofdrugs,calledGLP-1s,well-knowninweight-lossmedications

andmanagementoftype2diabetes,arenowbeingbroughttobearonbrain-relateddiseasessuchasAlzheimer’sandParkinson’s.Itisanticipatedthat

autonomousbiochemicalsensing,whereanalyticaldevicescontinuouslymonitorchemicalordiseasemarkers,willsoonreplacesingle-usetestsatscale.

Coreindustrialprocessesarebeingfundamentallyreimaginedforsustainabilityandefficiency.Examplesinthisyear’stop10includegreennitrogenfixation,inwhichatmosphericnitrogenisconvertedinto

crop-feedingammoniaforfertilizerwithavastly

loweredcarbonfootprint.Meanwhile,nanozymes,laboratory-producednanomaterialswithenzyme-likepropertiesthatactascatalystsinimportant

industrialprocesses,offerincreasedstability,lowerproductioncostsandsimplersynthesisprocesses.

Trustandsafetyinconnectedsystemsareclearlyessentialtoournetworkedfuture.Collaborative

sensing,forexample,willrelyonthat.Sensors

distributedinhomes,vehiclesandworkspacesareincreasinglybeingconnectedtoeachotherand

usedbyartificialintelligence(AI)-infusedsystems.

Lastandnotleast,thisyear,theWorldEconomic

Forum’s

GlobalRisksReport2025

againhighlightedmisinformationanddisinformationaskeycurrent

risks.GenerativeAIwatermarking,whichembedsinvisiblemarkerstoverifyauthenticityandorigins,mayhelpofferawayforward.

Appliedcollaborativelyandwisely,asalways,

emergentinnovationsinspiremoreconfidencein

humanity’sabilitytoimprovethestateoftheworld.Weinviteyoutoengagewiththisyear’slistindetailandwelcomeyourfeedback.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20256

Methodology

The2025emergingtechnologieswereselectedthroughexpertnominations,AIanalysis,readinessassessmentandstrategicevaluation.

TechnologieswerenominatedfortheTop10

EmergingTechnologiesof2025reportthrougha

surveydistributedtotheWorldEconomicForum’sGlobalFutureCouncilsNetwork,theFrontiers

networkofchiefeditors,comprisedofeditorsfromtopinstitutionsworldwide,andtheTop10EmergingTechnologiesSteeringCommitteemembers.

Thereport’sdefinitionof“emergingtechnologies”

encompassesbothentirelynovelinnovations

andestablishedtechnologiesbeingappliedin

transformativenewways.Thisinclusiveapproach

recognizesthattechnologicalemergenceoccurs

throughmultiplepathways–whetherthrough

groundbreakingnewdiscoveriesorthroughapplyingexistingtechnologiestosolvedifferentproblemsinwaysthatcouldcreatesignificantnewimpact.

Surveyrespondents,representingaglobal

communityoftrustedacademicsandresearchers,providedinformationaboutthetechnology

nominated,includingthetechnologyname,

description,keybreakthroughs,casestudiesandhowitwillimpacteconomies,theenvironmentandsociety,aswellaspotentialrisksthataccompanythetechnology.

In2025,morethan250validtechnology

nominationsweresubmittedbyexpertsacrossindustryandacademia.Toscreenthese

submissions,theAITrendAnalyzer–developedbyFrontiers–mappednominationstokey

conceptsandmatchedtheseconceptstotheirfrequencyinacademicarticlesoverarolling

10-yearperiod.Fromthisanalysis,anaverage

“trendiness”scorewasestablished,indicatingeachtechnology’sgrowingpresenceandmomentum

inresearchliterature.

Eachtechnologywasalsoevaluatedusingthe

WorldEconomicForumResilienceConsortium’s

ResilienceforSustainable,InclusiveGrowth

(2022)framework,focusingontheirpotentialtoaddresssystemicchallengesandcontributetobuilding

adaptivecapacityforfuturegenerations.

Therankedtechnologieswerethenfilteredby

removingthosefeaturedinpreviouseditionsofthereport.Businessfundingdatawasaddedtosupporttheanalysisforeachofthetop20technologies,

providinginsightintomarketconfidenceandcommercializationpotential.

Thisrefinedshortlistof20technologieswasthenassessedbyasteeringcommitteeofexperts,whoappliedthefollowingselectioncriteria:

–Novelty:Earlyadoptionisemerging,butwidespreaduseisnotyetachieved.

–Impact:Potentialforsignificantsocietalandeconomicbenefit.

–Depth:Developedacrossmultipleentities,withbroadandsustainedinterest.

Thisrigorous,multi-phaseselectionprocessensuresacomprehensiveandobjective

assessmentofeachtechnology’sreadinessandtransformativepotential.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20257

Ecosystemreadiness

Thisyearintroducesanecosystemreadiness

mapforeachtechnology.Thisanalysisevaluateshowpreparedthesocietalinfrastructureisfor

thesetechnologiestoscaleandachievetheirprojectedimpact.

Foreachtechnology,insightsweregathered

fromtheTop10EmergingTechnologiesSteeringCommittee,Frontier’snetworkofchiefeditors

andfuturistsfromtheDubaiFutureFoundation.

Theseexpertsevaluatedreadinessacrossfivekeydimensions,commonlyknownasSTEEP(social,technological,environmental,economicand

political)analysis:

Social:Publicawareness,acceptance,educationlevelsandculturalvaluesthatsupportthetechnology

Technological:Maturityofunderlyingtechnologies,researchneedsandsupplychainreadiness

Environmental:Accesstorequiredresources,sustainabilityofmaterialsandalignmentwithemissionregulations

Economic:Marketdemand,investmenttrendsandbusinessmodelviability

Policy:Regulatoryframeworks,internationalpolicyalignmentandtradebarriers

Eachdimensionwasratedonafour-pointscale

from“noreadiness”to“highreadiness”.Theresultsaredisplayedinradarcharts(seeFigure1)ineachtechnologysection,accompaniedbykeyactions

requiredtoachievescale.

Theseassessmentshelpidentifycriticalgapsthatmustbeaddressedbeforetechnologiescanreachtheirfullpotential,providingvaluablecontextfor

decision-makersacrosssectors.

1

FIGURE

Ecosystemreadinessmap

Social

4

3.5

3

2.5

2

Technological

0.5

Environmental

Economic

Policy

1.5

1

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof20258

Strategicoutlooks

ThestrategicoutlooksinthisreportweredevelopedbytheDubaiFutureFoundation(DFF).Foreach

selectedtechnology,inputsincludedacademic

researchliterature,marketanalysesandanin-depthforesightanalysisofkeydriversandimplications.Thedevelopmentprocessinvolvedaninitialassessmentofeachtechnology’stransformativepotential,

followedbyasystematicanalysisofcross-sector

applicationsandimplementationbarriers.Parametersforevaluationincludedpotentialimpactacross

economic,socialandenvironmentaldimensions,

withparticularattentiontoscalingrequirements,

governanceimplicationsandsystem-levelchanges.Eachtechnologywasalsocategorizedaccording

toitsrelationshipwithtwoofDFF’smegatrends

frameworkcategoriestopositiontheseinnovationswithinbroaderevolutionarypatterns.Thismethodicalapproachensuresconsistentevaluationacross

diversetechnologicaldomains.

Transformationmaps

Tocomplementthisyear’sreport,transformation

mapshavebeendevelopedinpartnershipwith

Frontiers’chiefeditors.Thesedigitaltoolsvisualizehoweachtechnologyconnectstobroadersystemsandglobalpriorities.HostedontheForum’s

StrategicIntelligencePlatform,themapsillustrateintersectionpointsbetweenemergingtechnologiesandrelatedtopics,providingcuratedcontentfromtrustedsources.Theyofferdecision-makersa

practicalresourceforexploringpotentialimpacts,understandingcross-domainrelationshipsand

trackingongoingdevelopments.

Explorethemapshere

2

FIGURE

Example:Greennitrogenfixationtransformationmap

01

Structuralbatterycomposites

Mergingenergyandengineeringinmotion.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof202510

DougArent

ExecutiveDirector,NationalRenewableEnergyLaboratoryFoundation

AndrewMaynard

Professor,SchoolfortheFutureofInnovationinSociety,ArizonaStateUniversity

DavidParekh

ChiefExecutiveOfficer,SRIInternational

compositesthatcanfunctionasbothstructuralcomponentsandenergystorageunits.

TheimpactofSBCswillbesubstantial.

Economically,theypromisetocutmanufacturing

costsbyreducingtheamountofstructuralmaterials,which,inturn,canlowertheoverallweightof

vehiclesandaircraft;lighter-weightvehiclesrequirelessfueltooperateaswell.Environmentally,SBCscouldleadtoenergy-efficientdesignsthatreduce

materialrequirements,andmakereuse,repurposingandrecyclingfasterandcheaper,ifdeveloped

appropriately.Theiruseinindustriesincludingaviationandtransportcouldcontributetomorereliableandsustainableoperations.

Structuralbatterycomposites(SBCs)integrate

load-bearingmechanicalcomponentsand

rechargeableenergystorage.Thismeansstructural

batterycompositescanstoreenergythesame

wayastraditionallithium-ionbatteries,while

alsobeingrigidcomponentsofthevehicleor

buildingthatthebatteryispowering.1Incontrast,theelectrochemicalcomponentsofatraditionalbatterysystemarehousedinacontainerthat

addsweightwithoutprovidinganystructural

benefit.SBCsmayincludecarbonfibre,epoxyresinorotherlightweight,high-strengthmaterialsandcanbe3Dprintedandoptimizedfor

surfaceareaandstructuralstrengthtoenhanceefficiency.2SBCshaveusesinawidevarietyofapplications,rangingfromelectricvehicles(EVs)toaerospacetechnologies.

Ecosystemreadinessmap

Theconceptofstructuralbatterycomposites

Social

Technological

aroseinthepastcoupleofdecadesfrom

advancesinmaterialscience,particularlyin

thefieldsofcompositematerials,batteriesand

Policy

electrochemistry.3Thetechnologyisstillinthe

earlystagesofcommercializationbuthasmade

significantprogress.EVsalreadyusebatteriesaspartofthevehiclesstructure,butSBCswilltakethattothenextlevelbyenablingbodypanelsofallshapesandsizestoperformbothfunctions.

Economic

Environmental

KEYACTIONSTOACHIEVESCALE

Developindustry-specificdemonstrationplatformsCollaboratewithkeytransportmanufacturers(automotive,aerospace,

marine)tobuildfunctionalprototypesthatquantifyweightreduction,rangeimprovementandstructuralintegritybenefits.

EstablishspecializedmanufacturingcapacityInvestinpilotproductionfacilitiesthatcombinebattery

manufacturingexpertisewithadvanced

compositefabricationtechniquestoaddresstheuniqueproductionchallengesofstructuralbatterycomponents.

Inthefuture,SBCscouldenableallrigidvehicle

個(gè)Image:

SBCscombineenergy

storageandstructural

strength,enabling

lighter,multifunctional

componentsfortransportandaerospace.

Credit:MidjourneyandStudioMiko.

Prompt(abbreviated):“Goldenlayeredquantumdisksrefiningandfilteringorganicdataintoasingle lightstream.”

Readmore:

Formoreexpert

analysis,visitthe

SBCs

transformationmap

.

Authoredby:LiefErikAsp,Bj?rnJohanssonand

JohannaXu.

bodypanelstosimilarlystoreenergy.Forexample,AirbusisexperimentingwithSBCsforusein

aircraft,4whereasacademicresearchcontinuestoexplorenewmaterialsandmethodstoenhance

performance.Applicationscurrentlybeingexploredincludeenergy-storingvehiclebodypanels

anddroneframes,withsomepotentialfutureapplicationsincludingaircraftfuselages.

Astransformativeasitspotentialis,SBC

technologyhasyettoachievewidespreadadoptionduetotechnicalchallengessuchasachievinghighenergystoragedensity,long-termstability,safety,durabilityandcost-effectiveness.5Regulatory

hurdlesalsoremain.Asstructuralbatterycompositematerialsmature,anewsetofsafetyregulations

andstandardsmustbedevelopedbeforewide-scaleadoptionispossible.Keymilestonesincludetheintegrationoflightweightmaterialslikecarbonfibrewithbatterytechnology,creatingmultilayer

Strategicoutlook

Structuralbatterycomposites

ByDubaiFutureFoundation

Theconvergenceofmaterialsscienceandenergytechnologythroughstructuralbatterycompositesrepresentsa

criticalinflectionpointforglobalindustries.Overthenextdecade,theseinnovativematerialshavethepotential

tofundamentallyrestructurehowinfrastructure,energystorageandproductdesignareconceivedacross

multiplesectors.

With85%oflithiumcurrentlyrefinedbyjustthreecountries,6thegeopoliticallandscapeofcriticalmineralscurrently

standsatapivotalmoment.SBCsofferastrategicpathwaytodiversifyanddecentralizeenergymaterialsupplychains.Thistechnologicalshiftcouldreshapeglobaleconomic

dependencies,transforminghownationsapproachenergyinfrastructureandtechnologicalsovereignty.

Beyondsupplychainimpacts,transformativepotentialismostevidentintransport.Intheautomotivesector,a10%reductioninvehicleweightcanimprovefuelefficiencyby6-8%andincreaseEVrangeby70%.7,8Aviationpresentsanequallycompellingopportunity,withpotentialfuel

efficiencyimprovementsof15%overa1,500kmflight.9Thesearenotmerelyincrementalimprovements,but

potentialcatalystsforsystemicchangeintransportdesignandenergyconsumption.

Torealizebenefitsatscale,strategicleadersmustrecognizechallengesthatextendbeyondtechnologicalinnovation.

Existingregulatoryframeworksdonotfullyaccountfor

dual-functionmaterials.Safetystandards,testingprotocolsandbuildingcodeswillrequirecomprehensivereimaginingtoaccommodatematerialsthatsimultaneouslyprovide

structuralintegrityandenergystorage.

Sustainabilityisbothacriticalchallengeandanopportunity.Carbonfibre,whilefivetimesstrongerthansteel,currentlyfacessignificantenvironmentalconstraintsdueto

carbon-intensiveproductionandrecyclingchallenges.10,11However,advancesinAI-drivencompositematerial

designsuggesttheemergenceofmorescalable,

bio-basedalternatives.12

Themostforward-thinkingorganizationswillview

thistechnologyasmorethanaproductimprovement.

Itrepresentsafundamentalredesignofhowmaterialfunctionalityisconceived.Inconstruction,thismeans

buildingsthatarenotjustshelters,butactiveenergysystems.Inelectronics,ittranslatestodevices

thatseamlesslyintegratestructuralintegrityandpowerstorage.

Strategicdecision-makersfaceacriticalchoice.

Thosewhoproactivelyinvestinunderstandinganddevelopingthesetechnologieswillbepositionedto:

Redesignentireproductcategories

Reduceenergyconsumptionacrossindustrialsectors

Createmoreresilientandadaptiveinfrastructuralsystems

Developneweconomicmodelsthatchallengeexistingtechnologicalparadigms

Thenextdecadewilloffersignificantadvantagesto

organizationsthatlookbeyondincrementalimprovementsandrecognizeSBCsasatransformativetechnological

platform.Successwilldependonunprecedented

collaborationacrossmaterialsscience,design,energysystemsandregulatoryframeworks.

RelatedDFFmegatrends:MaterialsandEnergyBoundaries13

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof202511

02Osmoticpowersystems

Channellingsaltintoenergy.

Top10EmergingTechnologiesof202513

KatherineDaniell

DirectorandProfessor,SchoolofCybernetics,AustralianNationalUniversity

AlisonLewis

DeanoftheFacultyofEngineeringand

theBuiltEnvironment,UniversityofCapeTown

producingpurifiedwater,andrecoveringlithium,nitrogenandcarbondioxide(CO2)fromthewateremployedintheprocess.

Remainingchallengestofullemergenceare

largelytechnicalandeconomicinnature.Previousgenerationsofosmoticpowerstationssuffered

frommembranefoulingandhighcosts,althoughrecentadvanceshaveimprovedperformance.

Thetechnologyisotherwisebasedonclearand

uncontroversialscientificprinciplesforextracting

energyfromdifferences