Developing Polymeric Membrane Materials for Precision Lithium Separations to Circularize Battery Manufacturing

Tarpeh lab: William Tarpeh (PI), Xi Chen (Postdoc), Kristen Abels (PhD Student)

Xia Lab: Yan Xia (PI), Ashley Robinson, Francesca Starvaggi (PhD Students)

Lithium is a key element for battery manufacturing and energy storage. Driven by the increasing production of lithium-ion batteries, the demand for lithium is projected to significantly surpass the capacity of the global supply. Conventional mining of lithium damages natural and human ecosystems, which underscore the opportunity to create a circular lithium economy. However, current lithium separation methods require large chemical and energy inputs; thus, in this project we propose the synthesis and characterization of lithium-selective membranes. In addition, we aim to integrate improved mechanistic understanding of structure-property-performance relations with use-informed realistic separation scenarios. Together, our team will advance the science and practice of ion-selective separations to facilitate energy-relevant circular economies.