Researchers at Rutgers University, the University of Illinois Chicago, and Argonne National Laboratory have found that boron nitride nanotube membranes transport lithium ions far faster than expected, pointing to potential applications in lithium recovery from spent batteries and blue energy generation.
From ESS News
Scientists used boron nitride, a synthetic crystalline compound, to build membranes containing millions of microscopic tubes that move lithium ions far faster than other charged particles. Lithium transport was observed at up to 31 times the rate expected from standard diffusion.
The paper, “Anomalous ultrafast lithium-ion transport through boron nitride nanotube membranes,” was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology. The research was led by Semih Cetindag of Rutgers University and Aaditya Pendse of the University of Illinois Chicago.
Sangil Kim, associate professor of chemical engineering at University of Illinois Chicago and a corresponding author of the paper, compared the mechanism to the way an electric eel generates electricity through ion channels in specialized cells, and said the ion transport observed was much higher than the theoretical estimation and also higher than existing experimental systems.
