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Yan G, Wei J, Apodaca E, Choi S, Eng PJ, Stubbs JE, Han Y, Zou S, Bera MK, Wu R, Karapetrova E, Zhou H, Chen W, Liu C. Identifying critical features of iron phosphate particle for lithium preference. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4859. [PMID: 38849339 PMCID: PMC11161493 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49191-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
One-dimensional (1D) olivine iron phosphate (FePO4) is widely proposed for electrochemical lithium (Li) extraction from dilute water sources, however, significant variations in Li selectivity were observed for particles with different physical attributes. Understanding how particle features influence Li and sodium (Na) co-intercalation is crucial for system design and enhancing Li selectivity. Here, we investigate a series of FePO4 particles with various features and revealed the importance of harnessing kinetic and chemo-mechanical barrier difference between lithiation and sodiation to promote selectivity. The thermodynamic preference of FePO4 provides baseline of selectivity while the particle features are critical to induce different kinetic pathways and barriers, resulting in different Li to Na selectivity from 6.2 × 102 to 2.3 × 104. Importantly, we categorize the FePO4 particles into two groups based on their distinctly paired phase evolutions upon lithiation and sodiation, and generate quantitative correlation maps among Li preference, morphological features, and electrochemical properties. By selecting FePO4 particles with specific features, we demonstrate fast (636 mA/g) Li extraction from a high Li source (1: 100 Li to Na) with (96.6 ± 0.2)% purity, and high selectivity (2.3 × 104) from a low Li source (1: 1000 Li to Na) with (95.8 ± 0.3)% purity in a single step.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gangbin Yan
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jialiang Wei
- Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
| | - Emory Apodaca
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Suin Choi
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Peter J Eng
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
- James Frank Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Joanne E Stubbs
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Yu Han
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Siqi Zou
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Mrinal K Bera
- NSF's ChemMatCARS, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Ronghui Wu
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Evguenia Karapetrova
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Hua Zhou
- X-Ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Wei Chen
- Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA
- Department of Materials Design and Innovation, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260, USA
| | - Chong Liu
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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Felsted RG, Graham TR, Zhao Y, Bazak JD, Nienhuis ET, Pauzauskie PJ, Joly AG, Pearce CI, Wang Z, Rosso KM. Anionic Effects on Concentrated Aqueous Lithium Ion Dynamics. J Phys Chem Lett 2024:5076-5087. [PMID: 38708887 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c00585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
The dynamics, orientational anisotropy, diffusivity, viscosity, and density were measured for concentrated lithium salt solutions, including lithium chloride (LiCl), lithium bromide (LiBr), lithium nitrite (LiNO2), and lithium nitrate (LiNO3), with methyl thiocyanate as an infrared vibrational probe molecule, using two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy (2D IR), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, and viscometry. The 2D IR, NMR, and viscosity results show that LiNO2 exhibits longer correlation times, lower diffusivity, and nearly 4 times greater viscosity compared to those of the other lithium salt solutions of the same concentration, suggesting that nitrite anions may strongly facilitate structure formation via strengthening water-ion network interactions, directly impacting bulk solution properties at sufficiently high concentrations. Additionally, the LiNO2 and LiNO3 solutions show significantly weakened chemical interactions between the lithium cations and the methyl thiocyanate when compared with those of the lithium halide salts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert G Felsted
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Trent R Graham
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Yatong Zhao
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - J David Bazak
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Emily T Nienhuis
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Peter J Pauzauskie
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
- Materials Science and Engineering Department, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, United States
| | - Alan G Joly
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Carolyn I Pearce
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
- Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington 99164, United States
| | - Zheming Wang
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
| | - Kevin M Rosso
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99352, United States
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Tan G, Wan S, Chen JJ, Yu HQ, Yu Y. Reduced Lattice Constant in Al-Doped LiMn 2O 4 Nanoparticles for Boosted Electrochemical Lithium Extraction. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2310657. [PMID: 38193844 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202310657] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Extracting lithium selectively and efficiently from brine sources is crucial for addressing energy and environmental challenges. The electrochemical system employing LiMn2O4 (LMO) electrodes has been recognized as an effective method for lithium recovery. However, the lithium selectivity and stability of LMO need further enhancement for its practical applications. Herein, the Al-doped LMO with reduced lattice constant is successfully fabricated through a facile one-step solid-state sintering method, leading to enhanced lithium selectivity. The reduced lattice constant in Al-doped LMO is proved through spectroscopic analyses and theoretic calculations. Compared to the original LMO, the Al-doped LMO (LiAl0.05Mn1.95O4, LMO-Al0.05) exhibits highercapacitance, lower resistance, and improved stability. Moreover, the LMO-Al0.05 with reduced lattice constant can offer higher Li+ diffusion coefficient and lower intercalation energy revealed by cyclic voltammetry and multiscale simulations. When employed in hybrid capacitive deionization (CDI), the LMO-Al0.05 obtains a Li+ intercalation capacity of 21.7 mg g-1 and low energy consumption of 2.6 Wh mol-1 Li+. Importantly, the LMO-Al0.05 achieves a high Li+ extraction percentage (≈86%) with Li+/Na+ and Li+/Mg2+ selectivity of 1653.8 and 434.9, respectively, in synthetic brine. The results demonstrate that the Al-doped LMO with reduced lattice constant could be a sustainable solution for electrochemical lithium extraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangcai Tan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Shun Wan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Jie-Jie Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Han-Qing Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Urban Pollutant Conversion, Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Yan Yu
- Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
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4
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Sun K, Tebyetekerwa M, Zeng X, Wang Z, Duignan TT, Zhang X. Understanding the Electrochemical Extraction of Lithium from Ultradilute Solutions. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:3997-4007. [PMID: 38366979 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The electrochemical extraction of lithium (Li) from aqueous sources using electrochemical means is a promising direct Li extraction technology. However, to this date, most electrochemical Li extraction studies are confined to Li-rich brine, neglecting the practical and existing Li-lean resources, with their overall extraction behaviors currently not fully understood. More still, the effect of elevated sodium (Na) concentrations typically found in most Li-lean water sources on Li extraction is unclear. Hence, in this work, we first understand the electrochemical Li extraction behaviors from ultradilute solutions using spinel lithium manganese oxide as the model electrode. We discovered that Li extraction depends highly on the Li concentration and cell operation current density. Then, we switched our focus on low Li to Na ratio solutions, revealing that Na can dominate the electrostatic screening layer, reducing Li ion concentration. Based on these understandings, we rationally employed pulsed electrochemical operation to restructure the electrode surface and distribute the surface-adsorbed species, which efficiently achieves a high Li selectivity even in extremely low initial Li/Na concentrations of up to 1:20,000.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaige Sun
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Mike Tebyetekerwa
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xiangkang Zeng
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Zhuyuan Wang
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Timothy T Duignan
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD 4011, Australia
| | - Xiwang Zhang
- Dow Centre for Sustainable Engineering Innovation, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Foo ZH, Thomas JB, Heath SM, Garcia JA, Lienhard JH. Sustainable Lithium Recovery from Hypersaline Salt-Lakes by Selective Electrodialysis: Transport and Thermodynamics. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2023; 57:14747-14759. [PMID: 37721998 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
Evaporative technology for lithium mining from salt-lakes exacerbates freshwater scarcity and wetland destruction, and suffers from protracted production cycles. Electrodialysis (ED) offers an environmentally benign alternative for continuous lithium extraction and is amenable to renewable energy usage. Salt-lake brines, however, are hypersaline multicomponent mixtures, and the impact of the complex brine-membrane interactions remains poorly understood. Here, we quantify the influence of the solution composition, salinity, and acidity on the counterion selectivity and thermodynamic efficiency of electrodialysis, leveraging 1250 original measurements with salt-lake brines that span four feed salinities, three pH levels, and five current densities. Our experiments reveal that commonly used binary cation solutions, which neglect Na+ and K+ transport, may overestimate the Li+/Mg2+ selectivity by 250% and underpredict the specific energy consumption (SEC) by a factor of 54.8. As a result of the hypersaline conditions, exposure to salt-lake brine weakens the efficacy of Donnan exclusion, amplifying Mg2+ leakage. Higher current densities enhance the Donnan potential across the solution-membrane interface and ameliorate the selectivity degradation with hypersaline brines. However, a steep trade-off between counterion selectivity and thermodynamic efficiency governs ED's performance: a 6.25 times enhancement in Li+/Mg2+ selectivity is accompanied by a 71.6% increase in the SEC. Lastly, our analysis suggests that an industrial-scale ED module can meet existing salt-lake production capacities, while being powered by a photovoltaic farm that utilizes <1% of the salt-flat area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Hao Foo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
- Center for Computational Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - John B Thomas
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Samuel M Heath
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jason A Garcia
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - John H Lienhard
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Yang L, Tu Y, Li H, Zhan W, Hu H, Wei Y, Chen C, Liu K, Shao P, Li M, Yang G, Luo X. Fluorine-Rich Supramolecular Nano-Container Crosslinked Hydrogel for Lithium Extraction with Super-High Capacity and Extreme Selectivity. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202308702. [PMID: 37471502 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202308702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Extraction and recovery of lithium from reserves play a critical role in the sustainable development of energy due to the explosive growth of the lithium-battery market. However, the low efficiency of extraction and recovery seriously threatens the sustainability of lithium supply. In this contribution, we fabricate a novel mechanically robust fluorine-rich hydrogel, showing highly efficient Li+ extraction from Li-containing solutions. The hydrogel was facilely fabricated by simple one-pot polymerization of supramolecular nanosheets of fluorinated monomers, acrylic acid and a small amount of chemical crosslinkers. The hydrogel exhibits a remarkable lithium adsorption capacity (Qm Li+ =122.3 mg g-1 ) and can be reused. Moreover, it can exclusively extract lithium ions from multiple co-existing metal ions. Notably, the separation of Li+ /Na+ in actual wastewater is achieved with a surprising separation factor of 153.72. The detailed characterizations as well as calculation showed that the specific coordination of Li-F plays a central role for both of the striking recovery capability and selectivity for Li+ . Furthermore, an artificial device was constructed, displaying high efficiency of extracting lithium in various complex actual lithium-containing wastewater. This work provides a new and promising avenue for the efficient extraction and recovery of lithium resource from complex lithium-containing solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liming Yang
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Yunyun Tu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Hongyu Li
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Wanli Zhan
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Huiqin Hu
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Yun Wei
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Changli Chen
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Ketao Liu
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Penghui Shao
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
| | - Min Li
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Science and Technology, Chongqing, 401331, China
| | - Guang Yang
- Biomass Molecular Engineering Center and Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Microbial Pest Control, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Xubiao Luo
- National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center of Heavy Metals Pollutants Control and Resource Utilization, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, 330063, China
- School of Life Science, Jinggangshan University, Ji'an, 343009, China
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7
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Kazi OA, Chen W, Eatman JG, Gao F, Liu Y, Wang Y, Xia Z, Darling SB. Material Design Strategies for Recovery of Critical Resources from Water. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023; 35:e2300913. [PMID: 37000538 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202300913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Population growth, urbanization, and decarbonization efforts are collectively straining the supply of limited resources that are necessary to produce batteries, electronics, chemicals, fertilizers, and other important products. Securing the supply chains of these critical resources via the development of separation technologies for their recovery represents a major global challenge to ensure stability and security. Surface water, groundwater, and wastewater are emerging as potential new sources to bolster these supply chains. Recently, a variety of material-based technologies have been developed and employed for separations and resource recovery in water. Judicious selection and design of these materials to tune their properties for targeting specific solutes is central to realizing the potential of water as a source for critical resources. Here, the materials that are developed for membranes, sorbents, catalysts, electrodes, and interfacial solar steam generators that demonstrate promise for applications in critical resource recovery are reviewed. In addition, a critical perspective is offered on the grand challenges and key research directions that need to be addressed to improve their practical viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar A Kazi
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Wen Chen
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Jamila G Eatman
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Feng Gao
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
| | - Yining Liu
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Yuqin Wang
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Zijing Xia
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Seth B Darling
- Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, 60439, USA
- Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
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