Li and U are the only trace metals dissolved in seawater that are proposed to be economical to extract. Both are at very low concentrations (Li (0.17 ppm), U (3.3 ppb)); however, their total content are approximately 10,000 and 1,000 times higher than in land-based reserves, respectively, representing huge untapped resources which could be collected in an environmentally friendly manner. With surging demand for Li-ion batteries for energy storage, it is estimated that current production methods will soon not meet market demands. In addition, low-carbon nuclear energy production is also expected to increase dramatically in major countries, such as India (8× increase) and China (5× increase), in order to meet their Paris Agreement targets, thus increasing the demand for U. This talk will present our work1-2 in harnessing the redox-switchable chelating properties of donor-substituted ortho-carboranes for the electro/chemical capture and release of these metals from aqueous solutions, ultimately mimicking seawater. Recent progress in designing selective donor groups for these metals, as well as biphasic and heterogeneous capture and release results will be described.

Capture and release of metals of energy importance using redox-switchable carboranes

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ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.