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Extreme Li-Mg selectivity via precise ion size differentiation of polyamide membrane

Author

Listed:
  • Quan Peng

    (Soochow University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Ruoyu Wang

    (Vanderbilt University)

  • Zilin Zhao

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Shihong Lin

    (Vanderbilt University)

  • Ying Liu

    (Soochow University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Dianyu Dong

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Zheng Wang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yiman He

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Yuzhang Zhu

    (Soochow University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jian Jin

    (Soochow University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Lei Jiang

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Achieving high selectivity of Li+ and Mg2+ is of paramount importance for effective lithium extraction from brines, and nanofiltration (NF) membrane plays a critical role in this process. The key to achieving high selectivity lies in the on-demand design of NF membrane pores in accordance with the size difference between Li+ and Mg2+ ions, but this poses a huge challenge for traditional NF membranes and difficult to be realized. In this work, we report the fabrication of polyamide (PA) NF membranes with ultra-high Li+/Mg2+ selectivity by modifying the interfacial polymerization (IP) process between piperazine (PIP) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) with an oil-soluble surfactant that forms a monolayer at oil/water interface, referred to as OSARIP. The OSARIP benefits to regulate the membrane pores so that all of them are smaller than Mg2+ ions. Under the solely size sieving effect, an exceptional Mg2+ rejection rate of over 99.9% is achieved. This results in an exceptionally high Li+/Mg2+ selectivity, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than all the currently reported pressure-driven membranes, and even higher than the microporous framework materials, including COFs, MOFs, and POPs. The large enhancement of ion separation performance of NF membranes may innovate the current lithium extraction process and greatly improve the lithium extraction efficiency.

Suggested Citation

  • Quan Peng & Ruoyu Wang & Zilin Zhao & Shihong Lin & Ying Liu & Dianyu Dong & Zheng Wang & Yiman He & Yuzhang Zhu & Jian Jin & Lei Jiang, 2024. "Extreme Li-Mg selectivity via precise ion size differentiation of polyamide membrane," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-46887-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-46887-4
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Amir Razmjou & Mohsen Asadnia & Ehsan Hosseini & Asghar Habibnejad Korayem & Vicki Chen, 2019. "Design principles of ion selective nanostructured membranes for the extraction of lithium ions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Grosjean, Camille & Miranda, Pamela Herrera & Perrin, Marion & Poggi, Philippe, 2012. "Assessment of world lithium resources and consequences of their geographic distribution on the expected development of the electric vehicle industry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 1735-1744.
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    1. Lingchen Kong & Gangbin Yan & Kejia Hu & Yongchang Yu & Nicole Conte & Kevin R. Mckenzie Jr & Michael J. Wagner & Stephen G. Boyes & Hanning Chen & Chong Liu & Xitong Liu, 2025. "Electro-driven direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-13, December.

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