In December 2017, ChemistryViews presented work by Hong Liu and colleagues at Southeast University in Nanjing, published in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. The team applied ion concentration polarization (ICP) on a Y-shaped strip of polyester fabric carrying a Nafion membrane near the fork. Capillary action moved the water without a pump, and brine and desalted water left at separate ends. Above 15 V the output was drinkable. Depending on salinity and voltage, treatment cost 12 to 43 US dollars per 1,000 litres.
The report showed a laboratory approach to small pump-free desalination devices aimed at developing and remote regions. It gave no figures on throughput or field trials.