CNT-Strung LiMn2O4 for Lithium Extraction with High Selectivity and Stability

LiMn 2 O 4 is of great potential for selectively extracting Li + from brines and seawater, yet its application is hindered by its poor cycle stability and conductivity. Herein a two-step strategy to fabricate highly conductive and stable CNT-strung LiMn 2 O 4 (CNT-s-LMO) is reported, by first stringing Mn 3 O 4 particles with multiwalled carbon nanotube (CNT), then converting the hybrids into CNT-s-LMO through hydrothermal lithiation. The as-synthesized CNT-s-LMO materials have a net-like structure with CNTs threading through LMO particles. This unique structure has endowed the CNT-s-LMO electrode with excellent conductivity, high specific capacitance, and enhanced rate performance. Because of this, the CNT-s-LMO electrode in the hybrid capacitive deionization cell (HCDI) can deliver a high Li + extraction percentage (≈84%) in brine and an outstanding lithium selectivity with a separation factor of ≈181 at the Mg 2+ /Li + molar ratio of 60. Significantly, the CNT-s-LMO-based HCDI cell has a high stability, evidenced by 90% capacity retention and negligible Mn loss in 100 cycles. This method has paved a new way to fabricate carbon-enabled LMO-based absorbents with tuned structure and superior capacity for electrochemical lithium extraction with high Li + selectivity and exceptional cycling stability, which may help to tackle the shortage in supply of Li-ion batteries in industry in the future.