Ion-imprinted antifouling nanocomposite membrane for separation of lithium ion

Membrane fouling is a primary challenge restricting the practical application of membrane separation technology. Inspired by the idea that improving hydrophilicity would lead to antifouling performance of membrane material. In this work, ion-imprinted antifouling nanocomposite membrane (LiI-NcMs) blended with GO and TiO₂ nanomaterial was fabricated for selective separation of lithium ion. As a result, markedly improved hydrophilicity was achieved on LiI-NcMs (55.1° for contact angle). LiI-NcMs also showed good selective adsorption capacity in the mixed solution of Mg²⁺ and Li⁺. Moreover, LiI-NcMs exhibited superior stability; after 20 adsorption/desorption cycles a maximum adsorption capacity of 88.1% can be maintained. This work demonstrates a new and facile approach to prepare novel membrane separation material for a particular substance for efficient selective separation in industrial applications.