Nanoscale view of assisted ion transport across the liquid–liquid interface

Source abstract

Significance The selective separation of targeted metal ions is utilized for environmental remediation, mining of rare earth and base metals, as well as the separation and isolation of long-lived radionuclides from nuclear waste. During the process of solvent extraction, organic extractant molecules complex with metal ions to assist their transfer from an aqueous to an organic phase. The structure of ion–extractant complexes at the interface, as well as the mechanism of ion transport across the interface, are generally unknown but are relevant for improving the kinetics and efficiency of this industrial process. Here, we describe experiments that reveal different ion–extractant complexes for divalent and trivalent ions, and discuss their consequences for the extraction process.