Li Ruilin, Zheng Yong, Zhang Xu, Tan Mengfei, Wang Jinhui, Tian Guiying
Tianjin Key Laboratory of Brine Chemical Engineering and Resource Eco-Utilization, College of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, 13th Avenue 29, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China.
Key Laboratory for Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education, National & Local Joint Engineering Research Center for High-Efficiency Display and Lighting Technology, School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Collaborative Innovation Center of Nano Functional Materials and Applications, Henan University, Minglun Street 85, Kaifeng 475004, China.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 May 22;17(11):1440. doi: 10.3390/polym17111440.
Lithium and its compounds have become crucial energy metals and industrial necessities. Driven by technological advancements and expanding applications in energy storage and portable electronics, ensuring sustainable lithium supply chains is highly important. Thus, the development of efficient extraction methods from salt-lake brines, particularly those with high Mg/Li ratios, has become a priority. Nanofiltration (NF) separation technology has recently emerged as a key process for selective lithium recovery, presenting remarkable advantages over conventional methods. This review systematically assesses the relationships between the polymeric structure and sieving performance of NF membranes for lithium extraction. This research emphasizes the influence of the membrane architecture on ionic selectivity and permeability. Advanced modification strategies for positively charged NF membranes are meticulously analyzed. These strategies include surface functionalization, copolymer design, and hybrid nanocomposite engineering, all of which are aimed at increasing the Mg/Li separation efficiency. Moreover, the review delves into innovative membrane module configurations and coupling processes (such as the integration of NF-electrodialysis) to satisfy the requirements of industrial scalability. Finally, the critical challenges and future research directions are highlighted. Our focus lies on cost-effective membrane fabrication, the optimization of long-term stability, and system-level process intensification. This comprehensive analysis not only provides an in-depth mechanistic understanding of high-selectivity lithium extraction from complex brines but also stimulates the rational design of next-generation membranes with precisely tailored ion-transport properties.
锂及其化合物已成为关键的能源金属和工业必需品。在储能和便携式电子产品领域技术进步及应用不断拓展的推动下，确保锂供应链的可持续性至关重要。因此，开发从盐湖卤水中高效提取锂的方法，尤其是针对高镁锂比卤水的提取方法，已成为当务之急。纳滤（NF）分离技术最近已成为选择性回收锂的关键工艺，相较于传统方法具有显著优势。本综述系统评估了用于锂提取的纳滤膜的聚合物结构与筛分性能之间的关系。本研究强调了膜结构对离子选择性和渗透性的影响。对带正电荷的纳滤膜的先进改性策略进行了细致分析。这些策略包括表面功能化、共聚物设计和混合纳米复合材料工程，所有这些都是为了提高镁锂分离效率。此外，该综述深入探讨了创新的膜组件配置和耦合工艺（如纳滤 - 电渗析集成），以满足工业规模化的要求。最后，突出了关键挑战和未来研究方向。我们关注的重点在于具有成本效益的膜制备、长期稳定性的优化以及系统层面的过程强化。这一全面分析不仅提供了对从复杂卤水中高选择性提取锂的深入机理理解，还推动了具有精确定制离子传输特性的下一代膜的合理设计。
