Hollow laminar Li4Ti5O12 nanofibers with polycrystalline property facilitate super-high and ultrafast extraction of lithium ions

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2024-10, Vol.498, p.155531, Article 155531
• Main Authors: Wu, Qinghui, Ding, Zhezheng, Wang, Caijian, Chen, Zijie, Sui, Kunyan, Liu, Yuan, Qi, Pengfei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Crystal planes; Hollow nanofiber Li4Ti5O12; Lithium; Superior adsorption performance
• ISSN: 1385-8947
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2024.155531

[Display omitted] •Hollow nanofiber Li4Ti5O12 with acicular lamellas was prepared.•A fast Li+ extraction within 20 minutes was obtained.•A high adsorption capacity of 60.8 mg/g was presented.•It demonstrates high lithium ions conductivity, selectivity and stability. Ion-sieve materials are effective and economical to extract and recovery liquid lithium in practical applications. However, it is greatly limited by its lower actual adsorption capacity than theory value as well as its tardy diffusion rate. Here, a hollow nanofiber Li4Ti5O12 with the outer wall of acicular lamellas (LTO-A) were prepared via electrostatic spinning followed by hydrothermal lithiation techniques, showing super-high and ultra-fast extraction of lithium ions. The as-prepared LTO-A displayed abundant ions diffusion channels, polycrystalline property and large surface areas. It exhibits a remarkable adsorption capacity of 60.8 mg·g−1, approaching to its theoretical adsorption capacity. More surprisingly, the cracks between the massive acicular lamellas facilitate the transport of lithium ions, reaching a rapid equilibrium extraction within 20 min. The LTO-A present high selectivity and stability during cycle experiments. Additionally, the matrix mixed membrane with loaded LTO-A demonstrate high lithium ions conductivity. The structure characterization and DFT calculation showed that abundant ions diffusion channels and the exposed crystal planes of (440), (400) and (111) paly central roles for the outstanding performance of LTO-A. This study provides a promising avenue for the efficient and rapid extraction of lithium from complex aqueous solutions.