The search for novel lithium-ion
sieves (LISs) with more desirable
performance seems to be at the cutting edge of lithium separation
from seawater and salt-lake brines. In this work, new types of freestanding
shape-controllable LISs have been prepared by subtly anchoring λ-MnO2 nanodots on the surface of mesoporous polyacrylonitrile (PAN)
nanoskeletons via a scalable sol–gel method. Synergistic effects
originate from the hierarchically porous polymer structure, and the
high surface ratio of nanodots significantly reduces ion-diffusion
resistance, rendering superior kinetics with the adsorption equilibrium
being achieved within 3 h for PMO-1. Moreover, PAN not only acts as
a binder but also tunes the λ-MnO2 crystal structure
by inhibiting the lattice shrinkage of LiMn2O4 during the acid leaching process. The slightly expanded crystal
cell enhances the use of active sites, which ultimately results in
an excellent saturated adsorption capacity of 49.0 mg g–1 for PMO-1 (based on the mass of λ-MnO2). Flow-through
adsorption tests have also been performed by continuously injecting
the solution into a PMO-1-packed column to verify its ability for
practical applications, which further prove its robust cycling performance
and superior lithium separation properties for both seawater and salt-lake
brines.