Highly efficient ion extraction with Functionalized micro-sized hydrogels
발표자
장영빈 (포항공과대학교)
연구책임자
오승수 (포항공과대학교)
공동저자
장영빈 (포항공과대학교), 오승수 (포항공과대학교)
초록
내용
The urgent need for battery material recycling stems from rising energy demands and stricter environmental regulations. Recovering critical metals is vital for economic and environmental sustainability. Liquid-Liquid Extraction (LLE), a traditional method for ion recovery, uses a two-phase system with water and an organic solvent, but requires toxic solvents and complex separation, limiting scalability and raising environmental concerns. To overcome these challenges, we propose a microgel that extracts metal ions only in water without the necessity of organic solvents. By introducing metal-binding functionalities, the functionalized polymeric architectures can capture metal ions within its structure, achieving high efficiency in metal ion recovery after extraction. This approach maintains high efficiency, simplifies operation, and enables selective metal recovery. Our findings present a potential scalable, environmentally sustainable solution for battery recycling.