Counterion mixing effects on the conformational transitions of polyelectrolytes. I. Volume phase transition and coil‐globule transition of alkali metal poly(acrylate)s

Counterion mixing effects on the volume phase transition and the coil‐globule transition of alkali metal poly(acrylate)s (PAAM) in aqueous organic solvents were investigated by observing the swelling behavior of PAAM gel and by measuring the solution viscosity and the conductivity as a function of the counterion mixing ratio. Marked transitions to the collapsed states were induced only for Li⁺/Cs⁺ system in most solvent systems; namely, PAA gel significantly collapsed in the presence of Li⁺ and Cs⁺ counterions irrespective of the solvent species employed, while only a slight deswelling was observed for Li⁺/K⁺ system in some aqueous organic solvents. Corresponding specific decrements in the solution viscosity and conductivity were also confirmed for the combination of Li⁺ and Cs⁺ in aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) system. A simple analysis of the conductivity decrement observed for Li⁺/Cs⁺ system in 60 vol % DMSO suggested that only Cs⁺ is tightly bound upon addition of Li⁺ while no restriction is induced for Li⁺ upon mixing with Cs⁺. A working hypothesis is proposed for the apparently intriguing behaviors of the counterions in the mixed system. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 47: 2122–2131, 2009     

Effect of 1,10-phenanthroline on the extraction and separation of lithium(I), sodium(I) and potassium(I) with thenoyltrifluoroacetone

The extraction of Li⁺ with thenoyltrifluoroacetone (Htta) in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) has been studied in various organic solvents. The remarkable enhancement of the extraction of Li⁺, that is a synergistic effect, was observed by the addition of phen, and the high extractability of Li⁺ was attained in toluene, benzene, chlorobenzene and o-dichlorobenzene. The extraction equilibrium of Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺ (denoted as M⁺) in the presence or absence of phen in chlorobenzene and the adduct formation reaction in the organic phase were studied in detail. The adduct of Li⁺ was Li(tta)(phen) in the wide concentration range of phen in the organic phase, while in Na⁺ and K⁺ M(tta)(phen)₂ also exists in the high concentration region. The maximum value of the separation factor between Li⁺ and Na⁺ was observed in the present system and was larger than that in the Htta-trioctylphosphine oxide (TOPO)-benzene system reported previously.     

Heats of ion-exchange on dowex 50W of alkali metal cations. Thermal effects of long duration in these exchange systems

An experimental device for the calorimetric measurement of enthalpies of cation-exchange is described, giving the values of these enthalpies for K⁺/H⁺, Na⁺/H⁺, H⁺/Li⁺,K⁺/Li^-,Na⁺/Li⁺ and K⁺/Na⁺ exchange systems on Dowex 50W with several degrees of cross-linking. Weak thermal effects of long duration have been found in these exchange processes. The influence of the exchange system and cross-linking of the resin is studied.     

Experimental determination of repulsive potentials between alkali ions (Li+, Na+, and K+) and N2 and CO molecules

Integral scattering cross sections have been measured for alkali ions (Li⁺, Na⁺ and K⁺) in the energy range 500–4000 eV scattered by room temperature N₂ and CO molecules through effective laboratory angles greater than 5 × 10^?3 rad. The repulsive potentials deduced from the cross sections are represented bya practically identical formula for the Na⁺N₂ and Na⁺CO systems, and for the K⁺CO systems, respectively, while the repulsive potentials of the Li⁺N₂ system are somewhat smaller than those of the Li⁺CO system at larger intermolecular distances.     

The properties of the ion associates of benzophenone in DMF

The properties of the ion associates of benzophenone (BP) free radicals with Na⁺ and Li⁺ have been investigated polarographically in dimethylformamide. It was found that BP^? forms ion pairs with Na⁺ (K_ass=69 M^?1) and two types of associates with Li⁺: BP^?...Li⁺ (K_ass,1=330 M^?1) and BP^?...(Li⁺)₂(K_ass,2M^?2). The influence of temperature on the equilibria was also discussed. The ion associates with Li⁺ disappear in a disproportionation reaction; the mechanism and kinetics of that reaction were studied. It was found that the main contribution to the overall kinetics are made by the pairs (a) BP^?...Li⁺+BP^?...Li⁺, (b) BP^?+BP^?...(Li⁺)₂ (c) BP^?...Li⁺+BP^?...(Li⁺)₂.     

Highly Selective Lithium Transport through Crown Ether Pillared Angstrom Channels

Biological ion channels use the synergistic effects of various strategies to realize highly selective ion sieving. For example, potassium channels use functional groups and angstrom-sized pores to discriminate rival ions and enrich target ions. Inspired by this, we constructed a layered crystal pillared by crown ether that incorporates these strategies to realize high Li⁺ selectivity. The pillared channels and crown ether have an angstrom-scale size. The crown ether specifically allows the low-barrier transport of Li⁺. The channels attract and enrich Li⁺ ions by up to orders of magnitude. As a result, our material sieves Li⁺ out of various common ions such as Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺. Moreover, by spontaneously enriching Li⁺ ions, it realizes an effective Li⁺/Na⁺ selectivity of 1422 in artificial seawater where the Li⁺ concentration is merely 25 μM. We expect this work to spark technologies for the extraction of lithium and other dilute metal ions.     

Mixed-phase WO3 Cocatalysts on Hierarchical Si-based Photocathode for Efficient Photoelectrochemical Li Extraction

Photoelectrochemical lithium (Li) extraction can be expected to provide a useful recycle of Li⁺ from waste Li-containing battery, but the process is limited by the photocathodes with poor Li⁺ absorption and low yield rate. Here, we have designed a hierarchical silicon (Si)-based photocathode with mixed-phase tungsten oxide (WO₃) cocatalysts for photoelectrochemical Li extraction under 1 sun illumination, achieving a high Li yield rate of ≈223.0 μg cm⁻² h⁻¹ and an excellent faradaic efficiency of 91.9 % at 0.0817 V versus Li^0/+ redox couple. The WO₃ cocatalysts with the mixture of amorphous and crystalline phase accelerates the Li⁺ insertion and precipitation and enriches the concentration of Li⁺ at the photocathode surface. This robust photoelectrochemical Li extraction system provides a new insight on designing green and efficient route for cyclic utilization of Li resources in the sustainable energy field.     

HTO/Cellulose Aerogel for Rapid and Highly Selective Li+ Recovery from Seawater

To achieve rapid and highly efficient recovery of Li⁺ from seawater, a series of H₂TiO₃/cellulose aerogels (HTO/CA) with a porous network were prepared by a simple and effective method. The as-prepared HTO/CA were characterized and their Li⁺ adsorption performance was evaluated. The obtained results revealed that the maximum capacity of HTO/CA to adsorb Li⁺ was 28.58 ± 0.71 mg g⁻¹. The dynamic k₂ value indicated that the Li⁺ adsorption rate of HTO/CA was nearly five times that of HTO powder. Furthermore, the aerogel retained extremely high Li⁺ selectivity compared with Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, K⁺, and Na⁺. After regeneration for five cycles, the HTO/CA retained a Li⁺ adsorption capacity of 22.95 mg g⁻¹. Moreover, the HTO/CA showed an excellent adsorption efficiency of 69.93% ± 0.04% and high selectivity to Li⁺ in actual seawater. These findings confirm its potential as an adsorbent for recovering Li⁺ from seawater.     

Do Carbon Nano-onions Behave as Nanoscopic Faraday Cages? A Comparison of the Reactivity of C60, C240, C60@C240, Li+@C60, Li+@C240, and Li+@C60@C240

From the analysis of the polarizability of carbon nano-onions (CNOs), it was concluded that CNOs behave as near perfect nanoscopic Faraday cages. If CNOs behave as ideal Faraday cages, the reactivity of the C₂₄₀ cage should be the same in Li⁺@C₂₄₀ and Li⁺@C₆₀@C₂₄₀. In this work, the Diels–Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene to the free C₂₄₀ cage and the C₆₀@C₂₄₀ CNO together with their Li⁺-doped counterparts were analyzed using DFT. It was found that in all cases the preferred cycloaddition is on bond [6,6] of type B of C₂₄₀. Encapsulation of Li⁺ results in lower enthalpy barriers due to the decrease of the energy of the LUMO orbital of the C₂₄₀ cage. When the Li⁺ is placed inside the CNO C₆₀@C₂₄₀, the decrease in enthalpy barrier is similar to that of Li⁺@C₂₄₀. However, the location of Li⁺ in Li⁺@C₂₄₀ (off-centered) and Li⁺@C₆₀@C₂₄₀ (centered) is quite different. When Li⁺ was placed in the center of the C₂₄₀ cage in Li⁺@C₂₄₀, the barriers increased significantly. Taking into account this effect, the barriers in Li⁺@C₂₄₀ and Li⁺@C₆₀@C₂₄₀ differ by about 4 kcal mol⁻¹. This result can be attributed to the shielding effect of C₆₀ in Li⁺@C₆₀@C₂₄₀. As a result, we conclude that this CNO does not act as a perfect Faraday cage.     

Experimental Signature of Microheterogeneity in Ionic Liquid–H2O Systems and Their Perturbation by Adding Li+ Salts: A Pulsed Gradient Spin‐Echo NMR Approach

Distinct microheterogeneity has been observed in the [OMIM]Br–H₂O system, which is interestingly perturbed by the addition of Li⁺ salts, indicating unusual diffusivity of [OMIM]Br and H₂O molecules. However, the diffusional dynamics of water clusters show contrasting salting behavior at higher concentrations of Li⁺ salts, following the classical salting phenomenon in lower amounts. In contrast, the existing microheterogeneity in the [BMIM]Br–H₂O system is weak enough to show any perturbation caused by the Li⁺ salts on the NMR time scale.     

Enhanced Li+ binding energies of some azines: a molecular orbital study

Summary Hartree-Fock calculations with the 6–31G* basis have been performed to investigate the structure and Li⁺ binding energies of the complexes between Li⁺ and pyridine, diazines, triazines and tetrazines. Structures have been fully optimized at the 3–21G level. As for azole-Li⁺ and methyldiazole-Li⁺ complexes, a topological analysis of the Laplacian of the electronic charge density reveals that the azine-Li⁺ is a typical closed-shell interaction and that the stabilization of the complex is mainly electrostatic. BSSE is quite significant, specially for Li⁺-bridging complexes. The correlation between calculated Li⁺ binding energies and proton affinities follows two different linear relationships, one for those cases where Li⁺ is singly coordinated and a different one for those cases in which an additional three-membered ring is formed. The enhanced stability of these particular conformations explains why while polyazines are less basic than pyridine when the reference acid is a proton; pyridazine and 1,2,4 triazine are more basic than pyridine when the reference acid is Li⁺. The effect on Li⁺ binding energies of systematic nitrogen substitution roughly follows an additive model.     

Examination of the role of ion size in determining double layer properties on the basis of a generalized mean spherical approximation

A new model for the diffuse double layer which accounts for the effects of ion size and solution permittivity is described. It is then used to estimate the potential drop across the diffuse layer at negative charge densities for the cases that Li⁺ and Cs⁺ are the electrolyte cations. The potential drop in the Li⁺ system is considerably smaller than that in the Cs⁺ system at 1 M, and both values are smaller than the value predicted by the Gouy–Chapman model. As the electrolyte concentration decreases these differences become smaller so that at 0.01 M, the present model predicts that the diffuse layer potential drop is approximately 90% of the Gouy–Chapman estimate. The results of the model are used to examine the differences in inner layer structure at mercury electrodes with Li⁺ and Cs⁺ ions at the outer Helmholtz plane, and to reconsider the question of the specific adsorption of Cs⁺ at negative-charge densities.     

Lithium intercalation with phase transitions in model systems of electrode materials for lithium power sources

A comparison was made for Li⁺ chemical diffusion coefficients (D _Li) in graphite as calculated by mathematical models of Li⁺ intercalation under constant potential into semirestricted and restricted kinetic systems with mobile phase boundary and into a single-phase system. Close D _Li values were calculated by means of double-phase models. The double-phase model produces 6–7-fold D _Li coefficient as compared to the values of the single-phase model.     

Robust Inclusion Complexes of Crown Ether Fused Tetrathiafulvalenes with Li+@C60 to Afford Efficient Photodriven Charge Separation

Inclusion complexes of benzo‐ and dithiabenzo‐crown ether functionalized monopyrrolotetrathiafulvalene (MPTTF) molecules were formed with Li⁺@C₆₀ ( 1? Li⁺@C₆₀ and 2? Li⁺@C₆₀). The strong complexation has been quantified by high binding constants that exceed 10⁶ M ^?1 obtained by UV/Vis titrations in benzonitrile (PhCN) at room temperature. On the basis of DFT studies at the B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level, the orbital interactions between the crown ether moieties and the π surface of the fullerene together with the endohedral Li⁺ have a crucial role in robust complex formation. Interestingly, complexation of Li⁺@C₆₀ with crown ethers accelerates the intersystem crossing upon photoexcitation of the complex, thereby yielding ³(Li⁺@C₆₀)*, when no charge separation by means of ¹Li⁺@C₆₀* occurs. Photoinduced charge separation by means of ³Li⁺@C₆₀* with lifetimes of 135 and 120 μs for 1? Li⁺@C₆₀ and 2? Li⁺@C₆₀, respectively, and quantum yields of 0.82 in PhCN have been observed by utilizing time‐resolved transient absorption spectroscopy and then confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements at 4 K. The difference in crown ether structures affects the binding constant and the rates of photoinduced electron‐transfer events in the corresponding complex.     

Correlating the Solvating Power of Solvents with the Strength of Ion-Dipole Interaction in Electrolytes of Lithium-ion Batteries

The solvation structure of Li⁺ plays a significant role in determining the physicochemical properties of electrolytes. However, to date, there is still no clear definition of the solvating power of different electrolyte solvents, and even the solvents that preferentially participate in the solvation structure remain controversial. In this study, we comprehensively discuss the solvating power and solvation process of Li⁺ ions using both experimental characterizations and theoretical calculations. Our findings reveal that the solvating power is dependent on the strength of the Li⁺-solvent (ion-dipole) interaction. Additionally, we uncover that the anions tend to enter the solvation sheath in most electrolyte systems through Li⁺-anion (ion-ion) interaction, which is weakened by the shielding effect of solvents. The competition between the Li⁺-solvent and Li⁺-anion interactions ultimately determines the final solvation structures. This insight into the fundamental understanding of the solvation structure of Li⁺ provides inspiration for the design of multifunctional mixed-solvent electrolytes for advanced batteries.     

Polystyrene Sulfonate Threaded through a Metal–Organic Framework Membrane for Fast and Selective Lithium‐Ion Separation

Extraction of lithium ions from salt‐lake brines is very important to produce lithium compounds. Herein, we report a new approach to construct polystyrene sulfonate (PSS) threaded HKUST‐1 metal–organic framework (MOF) membranes through an in situ confinement conversion process. The resulting membrane PSS@HKUST‐1‐6.7, with unique anchored three‐dimensional sulfonate networks, shows a very high Li⁺ conductivity of 5.53×10^?4 S cm^?1 at 25 °C, 1.89×10^?3 S cm^?1 at 70 °C, and Li⁺ flux of 6.75 mol m^?2 h^?1, which are five orders higher than that of the pristine HKUST‐1 membrane. Attributed to the different size sieving effects and the affinity differences of the Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, and Mg²⁺ ions to the sulfonate groups, the PSS@HKUST‐1‐6.7 membrane exhibits ideal selectivities of 78, 99, and 10296 for Li⁺/Na⁺, Li⁺/K⁺, Li⁺/Mg²⁺ and real binary ion selectivities of 35, 67, and 1815, respectively, the highest ever reported among ionic conductors and Li⁺ extraction membranes.     

The nature of the bonding of Li+ to H2O and NH3; A3 initio studies

Ab initio wavefunctions have been calculated for the complex of Li⁺ with NH₃ and H₂O in order to better characterize the nature of the bonding. Hartree—Fock and generalized valence bond calculations were performed using a double zeta basis plus polarization functions. The binding energies obtained at the GVB level are D_e (Li⁺ — NH₃) = 40.4 kcal/mol and D_e (Li⁺ ? H₂O) = 37.6 kcal/mol, in reasonable agreement with experimental values. Model calculations indicate that the Li⁺ ? base bond is basically electrostatic. Small basis sets were found to lead to D_e as large as 75 kcal/mol for Li⁺ — NH₃, a significant overestimation. Repulsions due to the Li⁺ core are responsible for keeping the Li⁺ too far away for significant relaxation effects.     

Bestimmung von Stabilitätskonstanten in Ethanol für Li+-selektive Ionophore mittels differentieller Dampfdruckosmometrie

Determination of Stability Constants in Ethanol for Li⁺-selective Ionophores by Differential Vapour Pressure Osmometry Stability constants of some neutral carriers and their bridged isologues in interaction with Li⁺ and Na⁺ are determined by a differential vapour pressure osmometry method in ethanol utilizing Bjerrum formation curves. All ionophores studied induce high Li⁺ selectivity in solvent polymeric membranes.     

The effect of curvature of Li-doped polycyclic hydrocarbon on its interaction energy with H<Subscript>2</Subscript> and H<Subscript>2</Subscript>O: DF-SAPT (DFT) calculation

In this work, the interaction of three Li⁺-doped polycyclic hydrocarbons (Li⁺-DPH) with H₂ and H₂O was calculated to investigate the effect of curvature of substrate on the interaction energy (E_int). For this purpose, the E_int and its decomposed energy components (electrostatic (E_elec), exchange (E_exch), induction (E_ind), and dispersion energy (E_disp)) were calculated using DF-SAPT (DFT) methodology for the selected systems (Li⁺-(3,3) carbon nanotube (Li⁺-CNT33), Li⁺-(6,6) carbon nanotube (Li⁺-CNT66), and Li⁺-graphene). According to the results, E_int does not change significantly with curvature for the interaction between both H₂ and H₂O gases and the selected Li⁺-DPH. Since the variation of the E_int with the curvature of Li⁺-DPH is not significant, the selection of a planar Li⁺-DPH is a trustworthy model to develop a general force field for describing the interaction between a Li⁺-DPH and adsorbed gases. The results reveal that, in the case of the H₂, the components E_elect, E_exch, E_ind, and E_disp have shown a decreasing trend with Li⁺-DPH’s curvature decrement. However, for the H₂O, E_elect, E_exch, and E_ind decrease from the Li⁺-CNT33 to the Li⁺-CNT66 while they increase from the Li⁺-CNT66 to the Li⁺-graphene. In this case, the E_disp increases with a decrease of the curvature of Li⁺-DPH. Finally, it can be seen that although the variation of the E_int with the curvature of Li⁺-DPH is not significant, the variation trend of the interaction energy components and the amount of variation depend on the gas molecule and in some cases are not negligible.     

Enhanced Surface Interactions Enable Fast Li+ Conduction in Oxide/Polymer Composite Electrolyte

Li⁺‐conducting oxides are considered better ceramic fillers than Li⁺‐insulating oxides for improving Li⁺ conductivity in composite polymer electrolytes owing to their ability to conduct Li⁺ through the ceramic oxide as well as across the oxide/polymer interface. Here we use two Li⁺‐insulating oxides (fluorite Gd_0.1Ce_0.9O_1.95 and perovskite La_0.8Sr_0.2Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_2.55) with a high concentration of oxygen vacancies to demonstrate two oxide/poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)‐based polymer composite electrolytes, each with a Li⁺ conductivity above 10^?4 S cm^?1 at 30 °C. Li solid‐state NMR results show an increase in Li⁺ ions (>10 %) occupying the more mobile A2 environment in the composite electrolytes. This increase in A2‐site occupancy originates from the strong interaction between the O^2? of Li‐salt anion and the surface oxygen vacancies of each oxide and contributes to the more facile Li⁺ transport. All‐solid‐state Li‐metal cells with these composite electrolytes demonstrate a small interfacial resistance with good cycling performance at 35 °C.