High Ion-Selectivity of Garnet Solid Electrolyte Enabling Separation of Metallic Lithium

Ionic selectivity is of significant importance in both fundamental science and practical applications.For instance,an ion-selective material allows the passage of a particular kind of ions while blocking the others,which could be used for purification of materials.Herein,the Li-ion-selectivity of a garnet-type solid electrolyte is discussed by comparing the difference of activation energy between different ions migrating in solids.The high ion-selectivity is confirmed by harvesting high-purity metallic lithium(99.98 wt%)from low-lithium-purity sources(80 wt%)at a moderate temperature(190℃).This gives it huge potential in separating lithium with impurities especially alkali and alkali-earth elements.The cost of metallic lithium production is only 25%of the international lithium price.The proposed electrochemical metallic lithium separating method is advantageous compared with the traditional process in terms of efficiency,safety,and cost.

Ion separation and water purification by applying external electric field on porous graphene membrane

Using molecular dynamics （MD） simulations, a porous graphene membrane was exposed to external electric fields to separate positive and negative ions from salt-water and to produce fresh water. It was observed that, by increasing the strength of the applied electric field, ion separation improved noticeably. In addition, to obtain fresh water, the designed system included two graphene membranes, which are exposed to two external electric fields in opposite directions. Ion rejection was found to be greater than 93% for the electric field of 10 mV/A and higher. This atomic-level simulation increases the understanding of electric field effects on desalination using multilayer graphene membranes and can be helpful in designing more efficient membranes.

Engineering Multi‑field‑coupled Synergistic Ion Transport System Based on the Heterogeneous Nanofluidic Membrane for High‑Efficient Lithium Extraction

The global carbon neutrality strategy brings a wave of rechargeable lithium‐ion batteries technique development and induces an ever-growing consumption and demand for lithium(Li).Among all the Li exploitation,extracting Li from spent LIBs would be a strategic and perspective approach,especially with the low energy consumption and eco-friendly membrane separation method.However,current membrane separation systems mainly focus on monotonous membrane design and structure optimization,and rarely further consider the coordination of inherent structure and applied external field,resulting in limited ion transport.Here,we propose a heterogeneous nanofluidic membrane as a platform for coupling multi-external fields(i.e.,lightinduced heat,electrical,and concentration gradient fields)to construct the multi-field-coupled synergistic ion transport system(MSITS)for Li-ion extraction from spent LIBs.The Li flux of the MSITS reaches 367.4 mmol m^(−2)h^(−1),even higher than the sum flux of those applied individual fields,reflecting synergistic enhancement for ion transport of the multi-field-coupled effect.Benefiting from the adaptation of membrane structure and multi-external fields,the proposed system exhibits ultrahigh selectivity with a Li^(+)/Co^(2+)factor of 216,412,outperforming previous reports.MSITS based on nanofluidic membrane proves to be a promising ion transport strategy,as it could accelerate ion transmembrane transport and alleviate the ion concentration polarization effect.This work demonstrated a collaborative system equipped with an optimized membrane for high-efficient Li extraction,providing an expanded strategy to investigate the other membrane-based applications of their common similarities in core concepts.

Separation and Concentration of Indium from Leaching Solution Containing Indium, Antimony and Iron Ions

Processing conditions of effectively separating indium from the leaching solution of a smelting antimony slag were studied. For the leaching solution containing indium and antimony and iron ions, indium was separated by extracting with HDEHP kerosine solution, washing antimony and iron ions with oxalic acid solution and stripping indium with a dilute solution of hydrochloric acid. InCl 3 solution with purity above 90% is obtained. Indium can be enriched through a circulation of stripping with a dilute HCl solution. The concentration of InCl 3 solution is about 25～30 g/L.

Engineering Leaf-Like UiO-66-SO3H Membranes for Selective Transport of Cations

Metal–organic frameworks(MOFs)with angstrom-sized pores are promising functional nanomaterials for the fabrication of cation permselective membranes(MOF-CPMs).However,only a few research reports show successful preparation of the MOF-CPMs with good cation separation performance due to several inherent problems in MOFs,such as arduous selfassembly,poor water resistance,and tedious fabrication strategies.Besides,low cation permeation flux due to the absence of the cation permeation assisting functionalities in MOFs is another big issue,which limits their widespread use in membrane technology.Therefore,it is necessary to fabricate functional MOF-CPMs using simplistic strategies to improve cation permeation.In this context,we report a facile in situ smart growth strategy to successfully produce ultrathin(<600 nm)and leaflike UiO-66-SO3H membranes at the surface of anodic alumina oxide.The physicochemical characterizations confirm that sulfonated angstrom-sized ion transport channels exist in the as-prepared UiO-66-SO3H membranes,which accelerate the cation permeation(~3×faster than non-functionalized UiO-66 membrane)and achieve a high ion selectivity(Na^+/Mg^2+>140).The outstanding cation separation performance validates the importance of introducing sulfonic acid groups in MOF-CPMs.

Segregation behavior of magnetic ions in continuous flowing solution under gradient magnetic field

The research of magnetic separation starts from magnetic solid particles to nanoparticles, and in the research progress,particles become smaller gradually with the development of application of magnetic separation technology. Nevertheless,little experimental study of magnetic separation of molecules and ions under continuous flowing conditions has been reported. In this work, we designed a magnetic device and a ＂layered＂ flow channel to study the magnetic separation at the ionic level in continuous flowing solution. A segregation model was built to discuss the segregation behavior as well as the factors that may affect the separation. The magnetic force was proved to be the driving force which plays an indispensable role leading to the segregation and separation. The flow velocity has an effect on the segregation behavior of magnetic ions,which determines the separation result. On the other hand, the optimum flow velocity which makes maximum separation is related to the initial concentration of solution.

Recent advances of rhenium separation and enrichment in China： Industrial processes and laboratory trials

China is a major producer of rhenium, which is widely used in aerospace technologies （as superalloy） and petrochemical industries （as catalyst）. There is a gap between the demand and fact for the enrichment of rhenium, due to its rather small content （10-9） in the earth＇s crust. Also, there is no available single occurrence of mineral rhenium. Instead, the rhenium is associated with either molybdenum or copper （of up to 0.2% in content） as a by-product in metallurgical industry. This makes the separation of rhenium from the major mineral metals a challenge. The recent progresses in the separation and enrichment of rhenium were reviewed in this paper, especially, the advances in China. The details of varied separation methods used either in laboratories or factories, such as ion-exchange, solvent extraction, separation utilizing extractive resins, liquid membrane, or novel materials, etc., were elaborated. Comparison of the different methods was disclosed and an outlook on the rhenium chemistry and industry in the future was brought forward.

Cleaner production of ammonium paratungstate by membrane electrolysis-precipitation of sodium tungstate solution

The production of ammonium paratungstate(APT) is riddled with the generation of wastewater,which causes environmental problems.To solve the problem of wastewater generation at source,a membrane electrolysis-NH3·H2O precipitation method,which prevents wastewater generation and recycles the reagents used in the process,was proposed and investigated in this study.The electrolysis process was investigated based on parameters such as initial cathodic and anodic NaOH concentrations,and current density.The results showed that an increase in current density and initial cathodic NaOH concentration and a decrease in the initial anodic NaOH concentration would enhance the separation of tungsten and sodium.The optimum condition was found at a current density of 666 A·m^(-2),initial anodic and cathodic NaOH concentrations of 69 g·L^(-1) and 40 g·L^(-1),with a current efficiency of 75.40%,and energy consumption for producing 1 ton of NaOH was 2184 kW·h.The precipitation process was investigated based on the acidic high W/Na molar ratio solution obtained by the electrolysis process with NH3·H2O as the precipitant.Parameters such as excessive coefficient,temperature,and W/Na molar ratio were studied.The result showed that the variation of excessive coefficient and solution temperature had an opposite effect on the purity of the APT,while an increase in the W/Na molar ratio would increase the product purity.The precipitation product obtained had a purity of 99.6% and was characterized using X-ray diffraction,inductively coupled plasma,and scanning electron microscopy.The methods proposed in this study could provide fundamental information for the design of a cleaner APT production process.

Magnetically separated and N, S co-doped mesoporous carbon microspheres for the removal of mercury ions

Magnetically separated and N, S co-doped mesoporous carbon microspheres （NIS-MCMs/Fe304） are fabricated by encapsulating Si02 nanoparticles within N, S-containing polymer microspheres which were prepared using resorcinol/formaldehyde as the carbon source and cysteine as the nitrogen and sulfur co-precursors, followed by the carbonization process, silica template removal, and the introduction of Fe3O4 into the carbon mesopores. N/S-MCMs/Fe3O4 exhibits an enhanced Hg2＋ adsorption capacity of 74.5 rag/g, and the adsorbent can be conveniently and rapidly separated from wastewater using an external magnetic field. This study opens up new opportunities to synthesize well- developed, carbon-based materials as an adsorbent for potential applications in the removal of mercury ions from wastewater.

IMPROVING THE PROPERTIES OF HDPE BASED SEPARATORS FOR LITHIUM ION BATTERIES BY BLENDING BLOCK WITH COPOLYMER PE-b-PEG

To improve the performances of HDPE-based separators, polyether chains were incorporated into HDPE membranes by blending with poly（ethylene-block-ethylene glycol） （PE-b-PEG） via thermally induced phase separation （TIPS） process. By measuring the composition, morphology, crystallinity, ion conductivity, etc, the influence of PE-b-PEG on structures and properties of the blend separator were investigated. It was found that the incorporated PEG chains yielded higher surface energy for HDPE separator and improved affinity to liquid electrolyte. Thus, the stability of liquid electrolyte trapped in separator was increased while the interfacial resistance between separator and electrode was reduced effectively. The ionic conductivity of liquid electrolyte soaked separator could reach 1.28 ×10^-3 S.cm^-1 at 25℃, and the electrochemical stability window was up to 4.5 V （versus Li^＋/Li）. These results revealed that blending PE-b-PEG into porous HDPE membranes could efficiently improve the performances of PE separators for lithium batteries.