Faculty Advisor: Nosang Myung, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Composite Nanofibers As Effective Adsorbents For Li+ Extraction (Summer 2024)

Lithium (Li), the lightest metal on earth, has been essential for a variety of applications including energy storage and sustainable energy development owing to its high energy density and long lifespan. With the fast growth of Li consumption rate, lithium extraction in a cost-effective manner with low environmental impacts is necessary. Natural Li resources are distributed by 40% of ore bodies and 60% of water bodies, and the Li content in the latter is larger than that in the former. Among different technologies for water bodies, adsorption using lithium ion-sieves (LIS) is promising because of their low toxicity, cost efficiency, high chemical stability, and adsorption capacity. In this project, composite nanofiber mat of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and LIS (e.g., metatitanic acid and hydrogen manganese oxide) are synthesized by electrospinning and tested for Li+ adsorption. LIS are prepared via solid-state reaction and subsequently integrated into PVP nanofibers via electrospinning process. Electrospinning parameters will be controlled to minimize the nanofibers diameters and bring LIS to surface of nanofibers to enhance the surface area to volume ratio and active sites for Li+ adsorption.