Synthesis of cauliflower-like ion imprinted polymers for selective adsorption and separation of lithium ion

The recovery of lithium ions from mixed solutions has attracted extensive research interests with increasing demand of lithium resources. In this study, novel cauliflower-like lithium-ion imprinted polymers (Li-IIPs) have been successfully synthesized by using B12C4 as the complexing agent, acrylamide (AM) as the functional monomer and N,N′-methylene bis-acrylamide (MBAM) as the cross linker for selective separation and recovery of lithium ions from mixed solutions. The Li-IIPs exhibited maximum adsorption capacity for Li⁺ (1.135 mmol g^-1) under optimum experimental conditions. Additionally, the high relative selectivity factors (K_Li/Na = 5.34, K_Li/K = 6.47, K_Li/Cu = 23.05, K_Li/Zn = 27.13) indicated that Li-IIPs had outstanding selective performance. The regeneration experiments were also conducted and confirmed the favorable reusability and stability of the as-prepared polymers. Therefore, the outstanding performance and simple preparation method makes Li-IIPs a powerful tool for effective separation and recovery of lithium ions in practical applications.