Self-Oxidated Hybrid Conductive Network Enables Efficient Electrochemical Lithium Extraction Under High-Altitude Environment.

Abstract

The electrochemical deintercalation method has been considered as an effective way to address the demand for lithium resources due to its environmental friendliness, high selectivity, and high efficiency. However, the performance of electrochemical lithium extraction is closely dependent on the electrode material and needs to be compatible under plateau environments with high-altitude and low-temperature. Herein, an in situ self-oxidation method is conducted to construct a hybrid conductive network on the surface of LiFePO4 (LFP-HN). The introduction of a hybrid conductive network enhanced the interfacial electron/lithium-ion transfer. In addition, structural stability is strengthened through suppressing the intercalation of impurity cations. Consequently, the LFP-HN delivered extremely high lithium extraction capacity (27.42mg g-1), low energy consumption (4.91Wh mol-1), and superior purity (91.05%) in Baqiancuo real brine (4788 m, -10°C). What's more, LFP-HN-based large-scale prototypes are constructed and operated at Baqiancuo, which is calculated to extract 25kg Lithium Carbonate Equivalent per cycle (4.55h, 100 pairs of plates). Based on the excellent performance, the modification strategy developed in this work can be a promising solution for industrial lithium extraction under high-altitude environment.