An efficient lithium extraction pathway in covalent organic framework membranes

共价有机骨架 化学 萃取(化学) 锂(药物) 共价键 色谱法 有机化学 生物化学 生物 内分泌学
作者
Fengxiang Chen,Lianshan Li,Zhiyong Tang
出处
期刊:Matter [Elsevier BV]
卷期号:4 (7): 2114-2116 被引量:7
标识
DOI:10.1016/j.matt.2021.05.010
摘要

Lithium extraction is one of the most important concerns in the energy storage field, since the methodologies used play a crucially impactful role in the sustainable development of lithium batteries. Recently in Matter, Ma, Sun, and colleagues developed a COF-based membrane implanted with oligoether side chains to provide a selective lithium ion-diffusion pathway. Thanks to the precise control over the pore structure and surface chemistry, the oligoether functionalized COF membrane allows efficient transport of Li+ while obstructing the pass- through of other ions, leading to an improved Li+/Mg2+ separation factor up to 64. This work highlights the significance of pore-environment engineering for developing customized membrane materials for ion sieving and lithium ion extraction. Lithium extraction is one of the most important concerns in the energy storage field, since the methodologies used play a crucially impactful role in the sustainable development of lithium batteries. Recently in Matter, Ma, Sun, and colleagues developed a COF-based membrane implanted with oligoether side chains to provide a selective lithium ion-diffusion pathway. Thanks to the precise control over the pore structure and surface chemistry, the oligoether functionalized COF membrane allows efficient transport of Li+ while obstructing the pass- through of other ions, leading to an improved Li+/Mg2+ separation factor up to 64. This work highlights the significance of pore-environment engineering for developing customized membrane materials for ion sieving and lithium ion extraction. Due to the wide application of lithium in many fields, such as ceramics, pharmaceuticals, nuclear industries, and the rapidly developing lithium-ion batteries in electronic devices and vehicles, modern society and industry require a continuously growing amount of lithium resource, the total demand for which is estimated to be 498,000 tons in 2025.1Choubey P.K. Chung K.S. Kim M.S. Lee J.C. Srivastava R.R. Advance review on the exploitation of the prominent energy-storage element Lithium. Part II: From sea water and spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs).Miner. Eng. 2017; 110: 104-121Crossref Scopus (142) Google Scholar Currently, the main lithium sources on the earth are widely distributed in lithium ores and brine deposits.2Choubey P.K. Kim M.S. Srivastava R.R. Lee J.C. Lee J.Y. Advance review on the exploitation of the prominent energy-storage element: Lithium. Part I: From mineral and brine resources.Miner. Eng. 2016; 89: 119-137Crossref Scopus (247) Google Scholar Compared with the limited lithium reserves on the land, the ocean stores a huge amount of hundreds of billion tons of lithium.3Diallo M.S. Kotte M.R. Cho M. Mining Critical Metals and Elements from Seawater: Opportunities and Challenges.Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015; 49: 9390-9399Crossref PubMed Scopus (90) Google Scholar Unfortunately, lithium extraction from seawater is complicated and challenging, because of not only the low concentration (0.1–0.2 ppm) of lithium ions but also the coexistence of many other chemically similar monovalent and divalent ions, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.4Razmjou A. Asadnia M. Hosseini E. Habibnejad Korayem A. Chen V. Design principles of ion selective nanostructured membranes for the extraction of lithium ions.Nat. Commun. 2019; 10: 5793Crossref PubMed Scopus (161) Google Scholar Noteworthily, the conventional lithium extraction technologies including solvent extraction, ion exchange, adsorption, and precipitation suffer from either low efficiency or intensive energy use at the cost of heavy investment or environment pollution.4Razmjou A. Asadnia M. Hosseini E. Habibnejad Korayem A. Chen V. Design principles of ion selective nanostructured membranes for the extraction of lithium ions.Nat. Commun. 2019; 10: 5793Crossref PubMed Scopus (161) Google Scholar,5Yang S.X. Zhang F. Ding H.P. He P. Zhou H.S. Lithium Metal Extraction from Seawater.Joule. 2018; 2: 1648-1651Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (121) Google Scholar Despite the enormous efforts in developing membrane-based materials for large-scale energy-efficient separation, the state-of-the-art nanofiltration membranes show a rather low Li+/Mg2+ separation factor of around 10, which is still far from satisfactory.6Somrani A. Hamzaoui A.H. Pontie M. Study on lithium separation from salt lake brines by nanofiltration (NF) and low pressure reverse osmosis (LPRO).Desalination. 2013; 317: 184-192Crossref Scopus (195) Google Scholar The recently developed porous materials with nanofluidic channels provide an ideal platform with which to strategically design novel selective membranes.7Bocquet L. Nanofluidics coming of age.Nat. Mater. 2020; 19: 254-256Crossref PubMed Scopus (139) Google Scholar Among those, two-dimensional (2D) covalent organic frameworks (COFs) demonstrate exceptional advantages for efficiently extracting lithium with high selectivity and permeability, benefitting from their high porosity, precisely controllable pore structure, and rich surface property.8Lohse M.S. Bein T. Covalent Organic Frameworks: Structures, Synthesis, and Applications.Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018; 28: 1705553Crossref Scopus (632) Google Scholar Moreover, due to the strong π-π interactions between adjacent layers, one-dimensional (1D) channels with low tortuosity and lithiophilic functionalities could be formed and function as the highways for rapid lithium ion transport. The oligoether moieties have been previously reported to undergo reversible coordination with lithium ions and thus enhance the transport efficiency of them.9Webb M.A. Jung Y. Pesko D.M. Savoie B.M. Yamamoto U. Coates G.W. Balsara N.P. Wang Z.-G. Miller 3rd, T.F. Systematic Computational and Experimental Investigation of Lithium-Ion Transport Mechanisms in Polyester-Based Polymer Electrolytes.ACS Cent. Sci. 2015; 1: 198-205Crossref PubMed Scopus (126) Google Scholar Inspired by this, Ma, Sun, and colleagues recently developed a selective lithium diffusion pathway by modifying the pore surface of COF membranes with oligoether side chains, in which the transport of lithium ions is accelerated while the diffusion of other ions is hampered (Figure 1A), giving rise to an efficient differentiation of lithium ions from other ions with a Li+/Mg2+ separation factor up to 64.10Bing, S., Xian, W., Chen, S., Song, Y., Hou, L., Liu, X., Ma, S., Sun, Q., and Zhang, L et al.Biol.-inspired construction of ion conductive pathway in covalent organic framework membranes for efficient lithium extraction.Matter. 2021; 4: 2027-2038Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF Scopus (18) Google Scholar In this study, the Schiff-base condensation reaction between amine-ended 1,3,5-tris(4-aminophenyl)benzene (TAB) monomer and aldehyde monomer containing oligoether side chain of 4EO (2,5-bis(2-(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy)terephthalaldehyde) was employed to prepare the stable COF membrane. As-synthesized COF membrane characteristically has a thickness of ~1 μm and a pore size of 2.34 nm, which is deposited on the hydrophilic and negatively charged polyacrylonitrile (PAN) support (denoted as COF-4EO-PAN, Figure 1B). The cross-sectional scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image reveals a regular and lamellar structure, suggesting the formation of a highly ordered and oriented membrane (Figure 1B). Such a configuration is particularly beneficial for permeability, owing to its regular and low-tortuosity nanochannels that considerably reduce the mass transfer resistance. Notably, the diversity of organic side chains endows the COF membrane with a high degree of controllability of the pore size and chemical surface property, allowing precise modulation of the ion sieving behavior of channels. For instance, two other monomers of 2,5-bis(heptyloxy)terephthalaldehyde (OHep) and 2,5-dimethoxyterephthalaldehyde (OMe) were also chosen to synthesize COF membranes with varied pore size and pore environment, denoted as COF-OHep and COF-OMe, respectively. Theoretically, this strategy may be applied to incorporate any chemically reactive sites, which offers the unlimited versatility of COF membranes with customized pore environment. To demonstrate the activity of the ether-mediated transport of lithium ions, the reversal potential was first used to determine the selective ion transport in a bi-ionic system separated by COF membranes. MgCl2 solution was filled on one side of the COF membrane, and other metal chlorides were placed on the other side with a fixed Cl− concentration of 1 mM, separately. Figure 1C summarizes that the relative permeability decreases in the order of Li+ > K+ > Na+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ for COF-4EO-PAN membrane. As a comparison, COF-OHep-PAN exhibits an intrinsic ion transport efficiency trend of K+ > Na+ > Li+ > Mg2+ > Ca2+. Given the similar chain length of 4EO and OHep, the accelerated transport of Li+ through COF-4EO-PAN membrane is mainly ascribed to the chemical coordination between Li+ and the oligoether moieties rather than the sieving effect of pore size. Furthermore, the ion transport kinetics was surveyed in a homemade diffusion cell in which the COF membrane was sandwiched between two chambers. 0.1 M LiCl or MgCl2 solution was separately filled in the feed compartment, and ion chromatography was used to determine the ion concentration of the permeate side filled with deionized water. A Li+/Mg2+ separation factor of 12 was obtained for COF-4EO-PAN, while COF-OHep-PAN afforded a Li+/Mg2+ separation factor of only 3. To further shed light on the separation mechanism, quantum density functional (DFT) computation was adopted to investigate the chemical basis of binding selectivity toward Li+ over Mg2+. The oligoether moiety was determined to possess a higher binding affinity toward Li+ over Mg2+ by 55.5 kJ mol−1 in aqueous solution. The coordination interaction between Li+ and the oligoether was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the binding energy of lithium species in Li+@COF-4EO (55.9 eV) was lower than that in LiCl (56.6 eV), revealing the electron transfer from oligoether to Li+. Considering the fact that single Li+ would be tightly bound in the membrane through the specific coordination interaction, the enhanced transmembrane movement of Li+ could be ascribed to mutual repulsion among the densely crowed Li+ in pore channel, which promotes the transport of Li+ along the concentration gradient. Distinct from lithium ions showing obviously facilitated transport behavior in the oligoether functionalized pores, the permeation of Mg2+ displays strong dependence on the size of the channel with the trend of COF-OMe-PAN > COF-OHep-PAN > COF-4EO-PAN, further suggesting that the accelerated transport of lithium ions originates from the densely arranged lithiophilic moieties in the COF-4EO-PAN membrane. The lithium extraction efficiency of COF-4EO-PAN membrane in a binary mixture of LiCl (0.1 M) and MgCl2 (0.1 M) was next investigated, showing a maximum Li+/Mg2+ separation factor of 64 (Figure 1D) and a high stability over at least 40 h with only slight decrease in selectivity. The much higher Li+/Mg2+ selectivity in the binary mixture than the ideal selectivity mainly originates from the competitive interaction between the oligoether and Li+/Mg2+. Importantly, the flux of Li+ through COF-4EO-PAN increases from 6.8 mmol m−2 h−1 to 230 mmol m−2 h−1 upon the feed concentration from 0.01 M to 1.0 M while the selectivity is maintained, showing much improved separation efficiency. Overall, this study illustrates how the densely aligned lithiophilic oligoether moieties can be well integrated into COF membranes, and subsequently facilitate the transport of lithium ions while obstructing the other ions, on account of selective coordination with lithium ions to lower the ion transfer barrier; namely, the transport of lithium ions is accelerated by rapid and reversible coordination with the oligoether moieties, thereby differentiating lithium ions from other ions. The proof of concept marks an essential step toward an understanding of the ion transport process through the channels of COF materials with a flexible and versatile pore environment, which opens a bright venue toward the development of next-generation membranes for ion sieving and separation. Despite the significant progress in fabrication of oligoether-COF membranes for Li+/Mg2+ separation, many efforts are still needed to construct membranes with monovalent ion selectivity to address the challenge of lithium extraction from chemically similar monovalent ions such as Na+ and K+. As to the ion permeability, although the oriented stacking structure of COF membranes is able to largely improve the mass transport efficiency, the microscale thickness of membranes inevitably results in high transport resistance. From this point of view, novel synthetic methodologies are highly desired for preparing ultrathin or even molecularly thin COF membranes with extremely low membrane resistance. Bio-inspired construction of ion conductive pathway in covalent organic framework membranes for efficient lithium extractionBing et al.MatterApril 7, 2021In BriefBy virtue of their tailorable pore environment and unique pore structure, 2D COFs serve as excellent candidates for exploring biomimetic ion channels for sophisticated separation. The 1D pore structure offers unidirectional pathways for swift ion diffusion, wherein the aligned lithiophilic oligoethers oriented in close proximity further facilitate Li ion transport but obstruct the other ions from entering the channel, resulting in a high Li+/Mg2+ separation factor of up to 64. Full-Text PDF Open Archive
最长约 10秒,即可获得该文献文件

科研通智能强力驱动
Strongly Powered by AbleSci AI
更新
PDF的下载单位、IP信息已删除 (2025-6-4)

科研通是完全免费的文献互助平台,具备全网最快的应助速度,最高的求助完成率。 对每一个文献求助,科研通都将尽心尽力,给求助人一个满意的交代。
实时播报
长理物电强完成签到,获得积分10
1秒前
若安在完成签到,获得积分10
2秒前
完美世界应助潘特采纳,获得10
3秒前
拼搏问薇完成签到 ,获得积分10
3秒前
单薄乐珍完成签到 ,获得积分0
6秒前
张静枝完成签到 ,获得积分10
6秒前
六步郎完成签到,获得积分10
6秒前
啊怙纲完成签到 ,获得积分10
8秒前
量子星尘发布了新的文献求助10
10秒前
scott_zip完成签到 ,获得积分10
11秒前
gxl完成签到,获得积分0
15秒前
xxx完成签到 ,获得积分10
18秒前
18秒前
努力生活的小柴完成签到,获得积分10
20秒前
22秒前
tangyong完成签到,获得积分10
24秒前
长安发布了新的文献求助10
24秒前
SucceedIn完成签到,获得积分10
25秒前
26秒前
29秒前
海洋岩土12138完成签到 ,获得积分10
30秒前
lzz完成签到 ,获得积分10
30秒前
冬雪完成签到,获得积分10
34秒前
woommoow完成签到,获得积分10
34秒前
aaatan完成签到 ,获得积分10
34秒前
lynn完成签到,获得积分10
35秒前
ABC发布了新的文献求助10
35秒前
回忆完成签到,获得积分10
36秒前
溜了溜了完成签到,获得积分10
39秒前
萧水白完成签到,获得积分10
41秒前
马桶盖盖子完成签到 ,获得积分10
41秒前
漆漆漆漆漆完成签到,获得积分10
43秒前
xzy998应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
43秒前
斯文败类应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
43秒前
天天快乐应助科研通管家采纳,获得10
43秒前
GB发布了新的文献求助30
43秒前
夜曦完成签到 ,获得积分0
45秒前
DELI完成签到 ,获得积分10
47秒前
白智妍完成签到,获得积分10
47秒前
47秒前
高分求助中
【提示信息,请勿应助】关于scihub 10000
Les Mantodea de Guyane: Insecta, Polyneoptera [The Mantids of French Guiana] 3000
徐淮辽南地区新元古代叠层石及生物地层 3000
The Mother of All Tableaux: Order, Equivalence, and Geometry in the Large-scale Structure of Optimality Theory 3000
Handbook of Industrial Diamonds.Vol2 1100
Global Eyelash Assessment scale (GEA) 1000
Picture Books with Same-sex Parented Families: Unintentional Censorship 550
热门求助领域 (近24小时)
化学 材料科学 医学 生物 工程类 有机化学 生物化学 物理 内科学 纳米技术 计算机科学 化学工程 复合材料 遗传学 基因 物理化学 催化作用 冶金 细胞生物学 免疫学
热门帖子
关注 科研通微信公众号,转发送积分 4038184
求助须知:如何正确求助?哪些是违规求助? 3575908
关于积分的说明 11373872
捐赠科研通 3305715
什么是DOI,文献DOI怎么找? 1819255
邀请新用户注册赠送积分活动 892662
科研通“疑难数据库(出版商)”最低求助积分说明 815022