A regenerative dual-functional platform combining dendritic silica and anthraquinone amide: advancing seawater lithium detection and recovery with biosensing capabilities

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2024-10, Vol.12 (4), p.2734-27354
• Main Authors: Choudhary, Nishu, Yadav, Sanjay, Patel, Tulsi R, Wakchaure, Padmaja D, Sonpal, Vasavdutta, Ganguly, Bishwajit, Paital, Alok Ranjan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthraquinone; Anthraquinones; Artemia; Biosensors; Chelation; Chemical analysis; Emissions; Energy storage; Environmental monitoring; Environmental risk; Fluorescence; Fluorescent indicators; Hydrogen bonding; Ions; Lithium; Lithium ions; Magnesium; Marine environment; Positron emission; Recovery; Recovery of function; Recyclability; Seawater; Silica; Silicon dioxide; Water analysis
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/d4ta05025h

Lithium is a vital energy storage material in high demand, but its excess in water bodies poses environmental risks, necessitating rigorous monitoring and remediation. Currently, there are no reports on the simultaneous detection and extraction of lithium from pure aqueous systems. Addressing this gap, a novel functionalized material named MDNS@DAAH has been developed. This material integrates dendritic silica as a substrate with an anthraquinone-based amide, a lithium-specific chelating fluorophore. MDNS@DAAH exhibits selective, turn-on green emission in the presence of lithium ions amidst common oceanic elements like magnesium, sodium, and potassium in pure aqueous settings, with a remarkably low detection limit of 4.9 nM. The turn-on emission in the presence of lithium ions arises from the disruption of the hydrogen-bonding-assisted PET process that leads to the fluorescence recovery of the anthraquinone system supported by DFT studies. Moreover, it demonstrates an exceptional adsorption capacity for lithium, surpassing established adsorbents with a high value of 97.8 mg g −1 , along with rapid kinetics and recyclability over multiple cycles. As a fluorescent probe, it enables the biosensing of lithium in the living organism Artemia salina through fluorescence imaging. Additionally, this material is effective for quantifying and extracting lithium from seawater and sea bittern (91.6% recovery). This study showcases a single platform with dual functions for lithium recovery from seawater, offering benefits in recycling, biosensing, and quantification in real seawater environments. A novel material with a dendritic silica substrate and anthraquinone amide ligand enables simultaneous lithium detection and adsorption in water, offering green-emissive sensing, high adsorption capacity, fast kinetics, and biosensing.