{"title":"Producing battery‐grade lithium hydroxide: A bipolar membrane with lower water dissociation barriers","authors":"Xu Zhang, Yuting Yuan, Xinyu Peng, Deqing Liu, Zhifei Wu, Dawei Zhang, Qingchun Yang, Chenxiao Jiang","doi":"10.1002/aic.70622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70622","url":null,"abstract":"Bipolar membrane electrodialysis (BMED) promises to convert Li <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> SO <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> into LiOH, but suffers from inefficient interfacial water dissociation and insufficient alkaline stability. Herein, an interface‐engineered bipolar membrane (BPM) was developed using an alkaline lignin‐modified Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> (AL‐Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> ) interlayer. Grafting alkaline lignin onto Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> introduced hydroxyl‐rich sites and improved hydrophilicity, thereby facilitating water dissociation. The optimized BPM (sulfonated polysulfone cation exchange layer/AL‐Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> interlayer/N‐methylpiperidine‐quaternized poly(2,6‐dimethyl‐1,4‐phenylene oxide) anion exchange layer) achieved a transmembrane voltage of 0.97 V at 115 mA·cm <jats:sup>−2</jats:sup> and a current efficiency of 99.52%, outperforming commercial BP‐1 and SSBP‐1 membranes. DFT indicated that AL‐Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> reduces the water dissociation energy barrier to 0.26 versus 0.47 eV for pristine Ti <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> C <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> T <jats:sub> <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> </jats:sub> . In BMED, the membrane enabled efficient conversion of Li <jats:sub>2</jats:sub> SO <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> into high‐purity LiOH (>99.7%) with a total energy cost of 2.95 $·kg <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> . This work demonstrates a biomass‐enabled MXene interfacial design for high‐performance BPMs and sustainable lithium chemical production.","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148836274","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tailored synergistic hydrophobic eutectic mixtures for ultra‐selective recovery of cobalt from calcium‐rich solutions","authors":"Zhizhuo Yang, Qianwen Chen, Xigui Gao, Shuainan Ni, Chengliang Xiao","doi":"10.1002/aic.70626","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70626","url":null,"abstract":"The selective recovery of cobalt (Co) from industrial wastewater is increasingly important for sustainable resource utilization but remains challenging in calcium‐rich media. In this work, a hydrophobic eutectic mixture was tailored by pairing tri‐ <jats:italic>n</jats:italic> ‐octylamine as the hydrogen bond acceptor with bis ‐ (2,4,4 ‐ trimethylpentyl) ‐ phosphinic acid as the hydrogen bond donor. This system integrates highly selective Co extraction with saponification‐free and diluent‐free operation, achieving a separation factor (SF <jats:sub>Co/Ca</jats:sub> ) exceeding 3389.4. Mechanistic analysis suggested that Co was extracted in the form of chloride‐rich anionic complexes. Using a counter‐current extraction flowsheet, effective separation of trace Co (0.50 g/L) from calcium‐rich saponification wastewater (Ca >40 g/L) was achieved. The Co concentration in the stripping solution reached 19.3 g/L, enabling subsequent precipitation of high‐purity CoCO <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> and resulting in an overall Co recovery of 96.2%. This work provides a feasible strategy for the selective recovery and enrichment of Co from industrial wastewater.","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148836279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Stoichiometry‐driven supramolecular assembly for stable and controlled antifungal delivery","authors":"Yuechao Cao, Weiguo Hu, Xueqiang Zhao, Yongjun Yang, Zhixi Qu, Zhao Wang, Songgu Wu, Junbo Gong","doi":"10.1002/aic.70629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70629","url":null,"abstract":"The conventional agrochemicals suffer from intrinsic drawbacks including high volatility, rapid photodegradation, and poor interfacial retention, which severely compromise their efficacy and raise environmental risks. Herein, we report a stoichiometry‐driven, one‐pot supramolecular assembly strategy to construct pyrimethanil (PYR)‐based nano‐cocrystals and nano‐salts. These systems effectively mitigate the physicochemical deficiencies of PYR, reducing volatilization by 81.15% and 91.42%, respectively, while exhibiting low hygroscopicity and robust phase stability. Crucially, their photolysis resistance increases by 2.36‐fold in solution and 1.55‐fold in the solid state. The nanoformulations also demonstrate superior interfacial affinity, target retention, and form‐dependent tunable release kinetics. Biological evaluations confirm enhanced antifungal activity against <jats:italic>Botrytis cinerea</jats:italic> , along with high biosafety and plant compatibility. This work highlights the potential of stoichiometry‐driven supramolecular assembly for multidimensional performance tuning, offering a promising path toward next‐generation precision agriculture.","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148836277","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2026-08-26Epub Date: 2026-05-26DOI: 10.1002/aic.70480
Zhou Chen, Shengyao Lv, Zhongyao Zhang, Wenyao Chen, Gang Qian, Jing Zhang, Xinggui Zhou, De Chen, Weikang Yuan, Xuezhi Duan
{"title":"Engineering Ni/NiAlmO heterojunction catalysts for efficient multisite cooperation in the N-alkylation of aniline","authors":"Zhou Chen, Shengyao Lv, Zhongyao Zhang, Wenyao Chen, Gang Qian, Jing Zhang, Xinggui Zhou, De Chen, Weikang Yuan, Xuezhi Duan","doi":"10.1002/aic.70480","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70480","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Alkylation of amines with alcohols offers a sustainable route featuring high atom economy and minimal waste, yet remains kinetically challenging due to the inertness of alcohols and the need for coordinated activation of multiple sites. In this work, we report a strategy of engineering Ni/NiAl<sub>m</sub>O heterojunction structure that synergizes Ni<sup>0</sup> and Ni(Al)O sites toward efficient N-alkylation. A series of Ni/NiAl<sub>m</sub>O catalysts with varied Ni/Al ratios were prepared by coprecipitation and characterized. The results show a gradual evolution of the oxide phase from Ni(Al)O toward NiO with decreasing Al content, with Ni/NiAl<sub>0.5</sub>O exhibiting the most apparent Ni/Ni(Al)O heterojunction and the highest catalytic activity. Density functional theory calculations demonstrate that Ni(Al)O lowers the barrier for O<span></span>H cleavage in ethanol relative to NiO, thereby cooperating with Ni<sup>0</sup> sites for subsequent C<span></span>H activation. This multisite synergistic strategy provides a new avenue for the rational design and preparation of efficient N-alkylation catalysts.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Tuning microenvironment via tri-block pore design for efficient CO2-to-CO electroreduction","authors":"Yujing Liu, Linjie Chao, Qing Hu, Lin Luo, Jia Zong, Zhenmin Cheng","doi":"10.1002/aic.70486","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70486","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> reduction (ECO<sub>2</sub>R) to CO in aqueous electrolytes persistently faces challenges due to competing hydrogen evolution. To address these issues, we fabricated four ZnAg alloy catalysts featuring distinct wettability architectures. Performance followed the trend: ZnAg@L/B-20/L > ZnAg@B-20/L/B-20 > ZnAg@B-20 > ZnAg@L. Subsequent deposition-time optimization for the optimal architecture yielded ZnAg@20L/20B-20/20L, delivering a CO Faradaic efficiency (FE<sub>CO</sub>) of 90% at 36 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>. Combined electrochemical and mechanistic analyses revealed that the superior performance of the tri-block structure catalyst originated from a synergistic effect at the pore level: its middle hydrophobic segment establishes a stable gas-phase diffusion channel, while the top/bottom amphiphilic/hydrophilic regions ensure rapid proton and ion transport. This architecture resolves the inherent conflict between mass transfer and active surface area in conventional electrodes. In a 12-bar pressurized single-chamber reactor, the ZnAg@20L/20B-20/20L achieved a CO partial current density (<i>J</i><sub>CO</sub>) of 248.57 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Controlling CO/CH4 selectivity for CO2 hydrogenation via inductive effect of MoS2-metal oxide heterostructures","authors":"Guo Tian, Yanyang Sun, Zonglong Li, Fei Wei, Chunyang Zeng, Jian Sun, Chenxi Zhang","doi":"10.1002/aic.70469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70469","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Support effects critically influence the electronic structure and catalytic behavior of heterostructure catalysts, yet the fundamental physicochemical principles governing interfacial charge polarization and its impact on reaction selectivity are not fully understood. Here, we reveal how interfacial electronic induction propagates across metal sulfide–oxide junctions by using CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation over MoS<sub>2</sub>/metal-oxide heterostructures as a model system. By constructing a controlled electronic gradient across oxide supports, we introduce the concept of an interfacial inductive effect—the σ-bond inductive effect analogous in organic chemistry—to describe how charge transfer (Δ<i>q</i>) at Mo-edge sites modulates intermediate adsorption and reaction branching. Combined spectroscopy and density functional theory establish a quantitative Δ<i>q</i>–<i>ε</i><sub>d</sub>–<i>E</i>ads relationship, demonstrating that interfacial polarization tunes the d-band center and Mo<span></span>CO antibonding occupation, thereby governing CO* binding and C<sub>1</sub> product distribution. This study translates a molecular electronic principle to heterogeneous interfaces, offering a mechanistic and generalizable design rule for steering catalytic selectivity through interfacial electronic induction.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816637","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Enhanced photocatalytic water oxidation driven by nitrogen sites in a polymer framework","authors":"Xin-Yu Meng, Jin-Jin Li, Peng Liu, Yu-Long Men, Tingwei Wang, Jiafu Zou, Jiabao Sun, Yin-Ning Zhou, Yun-Xiang Pan","doi":"10.1002/aic.70462","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70462","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Developing efficient and durable photocatalytic systems remains a formidable challenge, especially in seawater which is more attractive for practical applications. Herein, we report a polymer framework (PFN) featuring nitrogen (N) sites as a versatile host to anchor nickel (Ni) hydroxide (NH) via Ni-N coordination and cadmium sulfide (CdS). The resulting CdS/NH@PFN delivers an oxygen evolution rate of 180.6 μmol h<sup>−1</sup> cm<sup>−2</sup> in photocatalytic water oxidation, outperforming the PFN-free system by four orders of magnitude. Remarkably, CdS/NH@PFN confers exceptional resistance to seawater corrosion, enabling stable seawater splitting for over 100 h, and demonstrates perfect linear scalability up to a 1 m<sup>2</sup> array without efficiency loss. We identify that Ni-N coordination drives a synergistic mechanism, simultaneously accelerating interfacial charge transfer and promoting water activation on catalytic active sites, thus yielding the efficient and durable photocatalytic oxidation of freshwater and seawater in CdS/NH@PFN. These results offer a versatile strategy for fabricating robust photocatalytic systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816645","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2026-08-26DOI: 10.1002/aic.70628
Yirong Wang, Qin Sun, Junbo Li, Tiantian Liu, Xiaohua Li, Liangzhi Yu, Sen Wang, Prasert Reubroycharoen, Lizhi Wu, Yu Tang, Li Tan
{"title":"Silica‐encapsulated Co / BEA core–shell catalysts for PDH : Stabilizing tetrahedral Co 2+ and inhibiting coke formation","authors":"Yirong Wang, Qin Sun, Junbo Li, Tiantian Liu, Xiaohua Li, Liangzhi Yu, Sen Wang, Prasert Reubroycharoen, Lizhi Wu, Yu Tang, Li Tan","doi":"10.1002/aic.70628","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70628","url":null,"abstract":"Propylene is a key chemical. Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) over non‐noble cobalt catalysts suffers rapid deactivation from sintering and coking. Herein, we report a core–shell catalyst (1.0Co/BEA@ <jats:italic>x</jats:italic> Si) with a mesoporous silica shell on Co‐impregnated dealuminated Beta zeolite. The silica shell enhances Co dispersion and modulates Co reduction: it promotes the formation of active tetrahedral Co <jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> sites from Co <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> O <jats:sub>4</jats:sub> while suppressing over‐reduction to metallic Co <jats:sup>0</jats:sup> . The optimized 1.0Co/BEA@1.0Si maintains ~99% propylene selectivity and achieves a formation rate of 71.0 gC <jats:sub>3</jats:sub> H <jats:sub>6</jats:sub> ·g <jats:sub>Co</jats:sub> <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> ·h <jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> after 980 min, far surpassing uncoated 1.0Co/BEA and most reported Co‐based PDH catalysts. In situ and post‐reaction analyses show the shell strengthens propane adsorption/activation and reduces coke formation. Core–shell engineering thus stabilizes active metal states via local redox microenvironment modulation, offering new design principles for robust alkane dehydrogenation catalysts.","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"18 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148836278","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phytic acid-doped H-Beta facilitates proton-coupled electron transfer for efficient carbamate decomposition in CO2 capture","authors":"Xiaowen Zhang, ZeYuan Yu, Zhan Tan, Biao Hu, Fangfang Zhao, Kuiyi You, He'an Luo, Paitoon Tontiwachwuthikul, Zhiwu Liang","doi":"10.1002/aic.70482","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70482","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Although catalytic amine regeneration can effectively reduce heat duty in CO<sub>2</sub> capture, the insufficient activity and stability of existing solid acid catalysts in high-temperature basic environments impede their practical implementation. Herein, phosphorus-doped H-Beta (P-Hβ) catalysts were employed for CO<sub>2</sub> desorption for the first time. Phosphorus doping Hβ forms P<span></span>OH, which undergoes in situ reconstruction into active -PO<sub>3</sub>H groups, generating abundant strong acid sites (SAS) and enhancing electron transfer efficiency. This synergistic effect significantly enhances the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process, thereby facilitating CO<sub>2</sub> desorption. The optimal P-Hβ catalyst improves the CO<sub>2</sub> desorption rate by 368.0%, lowers the activation energy (Ea) by 33.3%, and reduces the regeneration energy consumption by 49.1%, while maintaining stable performance over 10 cycles. Online fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis reveals the synergistic catalytic mechanism. This work thus provides a novel perspective for designing highly efficient and robust CO<sub>2</sub> desorption catalysts by elucidating the clear mechanism of the PCET process.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AIChE JournalPub Date : 2026-08-26Epub Date: 2026-05-20DOI: 10.1002/aic.70475
Jian Long, Ruiqi Song, Lei Wan, Wenze Guo
{"title":"Two-stage multi-objective stochastic optimization of a wind-solar powered steam and green methanol co-production system","authors":"Jian Long, Ruiqi Song, Lei Wan, Wenze Guo","doi":"10.1002/aic.70475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.70475","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The transition to low-carbon refineries requires integrated systems that coordinate renewable energy with industrial production. This work bridges a critical gap by proposing a novel Renewable Energy-Integrated Steam and Methanol Production (RE-ISMP) system, which couples a steam network with a carbon capture-enabled methanol process. A two-stage stochastic multi-objective optimization framework is developed to jointly address investment and operational decisions under wind-solar uncertainty, solved efficiently via Benders decomposition. Application to an industrial refinery demonstrates that the RE-ISMP system significantly reduces annual cost and CO<sub>2</sub> emissions versus conventional baselines. Crucially, the stochastic solution guarantees operational robustness across scenarios and identifies the optimal cost-CO<sub>2</sub> emissions Pareto frontier. This work establishes a generalizable paradigm for transforming energy-intensive industries into resilient, low-carbon integrated hubs.</p>","PeriodicalId":120,"journal":{"name":"AIChE Journal","volume":"72 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.4,"publicationDate":"2026-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148816472","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}