journal article·2026-07Open access

Achieving Near‐Lossless Adsorption Capacity via Hierarchical All‐Fibrous Strategy for Efficient Lithium Extraction

Yukun Liu, Lei Shi, Ruoxuan Tang, Liwen Hu, Di Yang, Xiangyang Dong, Linbin Jiang, Hongbing Deng

Small· Volume 22· Issue 38

Abstract

ABSTRACT Adsorptive lithium recovery using Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) is a pivotal strategy for lithium extraction from salt lakes but faces intrinsic bottlenecks: the agglomeration of LTO particles and the occlusion of active sites arising from the introduction of binders in conventional shaping methods. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel “hierarchical all‐fibrous architecture” strategy to construct a porous composite foam (electrospun LTO cellulose, ELC) by uniformly loading electrospun LTO nanofibers onto the cellulose fiber skeleton. This architecture achieves rapid adsorption kinetics while ensuring robust structural stability. Crucially, this all‐fibrous structural design maximises active site exposure. Consequently, the ELC exhibits a superior adsorption capacity of 58 mg/g (approaching the theoretical limit) alongside rapid kinetics (equilibrium within 1.5 h). It demonstrates exceptional structural stability, retaining 90% of its initial capacity after five cycles with minimal titanium loss. In adsorption experiments using simulated brine with a lithium concentration of 210 ppm, its adsorption capacity consistently remained at a high level of 25 mg/g. This work establishes a robust, scalable conceptual framework for high‐efficiency lithium extraction, offering a new paradigm for all‐fibrous adsorbent design.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Extraction and Separation Processes · Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal · Bauxite Residue and Utilization

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Petrochemical Resource Processing and Process Intensification Technology School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Guangxi University Nanning China

Hubei Key Laboratory of Biomass Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology Hubei International Scientific and Technological Cooperation Base of Sustainable Resource and Energy School of Resource and Environmental Science Wuhan University Wuhan China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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