Rationally designed nanotrap structures for efficient separation of rare earth elements over a single step

Qing-Hua Hu, An-Min Song, Xin Gao, Yu-Zhen Shi, Wei Jiang, Ru-Ping Liang () and Jian-Ding Qiu ()
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Qing-Hua Hu: East China University of Technology
An-Min Song: Nanchang University
Xin Gao: Nanchang University
Yu-Zhen Shi: Nanchang University
Wei Jiang: Nanchang University
Ru-Ping Liang: Nanchang University
Jian-Ding Qiu: East China University of Technology

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Extracting rare earth elements (REEs) from wastewater is essential for the growth and an eco-friendly sustainable economy. However, it is a daunting challenge to separate individual rare earth elements by their subtle differences. To overcome this difficulty, we report a unique REE nanotrap that features dense uncoordinated carboxyl groups and triazole N atoms in a two-fold interpenetrated metal-organic framework (named NCU-1). Notably, the synergistic effect of suitable pore sizes and REE nanotraps in NCU-1 is highly responsive to the size variation of rare-earth ions and shows high selectivity toward light REE. As a proof of concept, Pr/Lu and Nd/Er are used as binary models, which give a high separation factor of SFPr/Lu = 796 and SFNd/Er = 273, demonstrating highly efficient separation over a single step. This ability achieves efficient and selective extraction and separation of REEs from mine tailings, establishing this platform as an important advance for sustainable obtaining high-purity REEs.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45810-1

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