Nanostructured hybrid materials for the selective recovery and enrichment of rare earth elements

The importance of rare-earth elements (REEs) in the global economy is booming as they are used in numerous advanced technologies. Industrially, the extraction and purification of REEs involve multiple liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) steps as they exhibit very similar complexation properties with most common ligands. In order to substantially improve this process and provide a greener alternative to LLE, functional porous hybrid materials, demonstrating enhanced selectivity towards heavier REEs compared to commercially-available products, are proposed. In addition, because of the grafting procedure used in the synthesis, the proposed materials demonstrate a higher degree of reusability, increasing their marketable potential. Nanomaterials for lanthanide separation: the importance of rare-earth elements in the global economy is booming as they are used in numerous advanced technologies. However, industrially, their extraction and purification remain tedious. Functional porous hybrid materials demonstrate enhanced selectivity towards heavier rare-earths compared to commercial products. Because of the grafting procedure used, these materials show high level of reusability, increasing their marketable potential.