Argonne National Laboratory

Research Highlight | Center for Nanoscale Materials

Observation of metastable precipitation in liquid-liquid extraction processes
In a PNAS paper, researchers provide a deeper understanding of how precipitation may occur during liquid–liquid extraction to separate critical elements, process nuclear waste, and remediate the environment.
Observation of precipitation process during the liquid-liquid extraction of trivalent metal ions. (A) Analysis of photos for brightness as a function of pH₁⁄₂ values corresponding to their extraction efficiency.

Scientific Achievement

A novel non-equilibrium process in the bulk aqueous phase was discovered that influences interfacial ion transport: the formation of metastable ion-extractant precipitates nucleated by interfacial extractant transport.

Significance and Impact

A deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the pathways affecting ion extraction kinetics was achieved, helping to advance processes to separate rare earths and other minerals.

Research Details

  • Ion extraction experiments conducted at University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and APS 15-ID ChemMatCARS.
  • X-ray spectroscopy studies at APS 12-BM-B of Argonne National Laboratory. ICP-OES elemental analysis at CNM at Argonne.

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2315584121

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    About Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials
    The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://​sci​ence​.osti​.gov/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​-​a​t​-​a​-​G​lance.

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