Summary
Modern technologies like lithium-ion batteries, electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing depend on critical minerals. These minerals are often found in seawater, brines, and wastewater. The minerals of interest mix with other minerals of similar size and chemical behavior. Separating nearly identical ions is very difficult. Membrane-based separation methods are energy-efficient, but designing membranes that can tell similar ions apart is a challenge. This project will improve membrane design by analyzing how the membrane’s chemistry and internal structure control the motion of ions throu
