Tailoring Multiple Functional Domains of Lithium-Ion Sieves for Sustainable Lithium Extraction from Low-Quality Brines.
Unlock the potential of low-quality brines for sustainable lithium extraction. Tailored polymer-LDH composites boost efficiency and selectivity, enabling high-purity Li2CO3 from the world's largest SO4-rich brine.
This research presents a novel polymer side-chain structure design (SCSD) strategy to engineer lithium-aluminum layered double hydroxides (LiAl-LDHs) for efficient and selective lithium extraction from low-quality brines. The SCSD approach enables synergistic intralayer and interlayer modifications, addressing challenges like low Li+ concentration and "poisoning effect" from SO4^2- in these brines. The optimized LiAl-LDH composites achieved ppb-level residual lithium and high-purity Li2CO3 production, even from the world's largest SO4^2--type brine. This work expands the accessible brine resources for sustainable critical metal recovery, with potential applications in the growing lithium-ion battery industry.