Acta Phys. -Chim. Sin. ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (1): 100127.doi: 10.1016/j.actphy.2025.100127

Special Issue: Electrochemical Separation and Recycling

• REVIEW • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Electrochemical lithium extraction by the faradaic materials: advances, challenges and enhancement approaches

Lei Wang1,2,*(), Panpan Zhang1,2, Zhiyuan Guo1,2, Jing Wang1,2, Jie Ma3,*(), Zhi-yong Ji1,2,*()   

  1. 1 Engineering Research Center of Seawater Utilization of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
    2 Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center of Modern Marine Chemical Technology, Tianjin 300401, China
    3 Research Center for Environmental Functional Materials, College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
  • Received:2025-04-29 Revised:2025-06-11 Accepted:2025-06-30 Published:2025-11-01
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Abstract:

The rapid growth of the electric vehicle industry has led to a surge in demand for lithium products, driving the development of advanced lithium extraction technologies. Among these, electrochemical lithium extraction has emerged as a promising approach due to its superior lithium selectivity towards competing cations (like Na+ and Mg2+), high energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Many works about the faradaic materials, operation modes/parameters, and cell configurations have been published. Although some reviews about electrochemical lithium extraction technology have been published, there remains a lack of comprehensive reviews that systematically summarize advancements of faradaic materials employed in lithium extraction, analyze how their nature affects the lithium extraction performance, and elucidate the relationship between performance-enhancing strategies and their impact on critical extraction metrics. Here, we systematically introduce the principle of electrochemical lithium extraction technologies and all the performance indices reported in the literature, including the lithium intercalation capacity, lithium extraction rate, capacity retention, selectivity factor (or purity), energy consumption, and current efficiency. We present a comprehensive analysis of the reported faradaic materials used to extract lithium, involving LiFePO4, LiMn2O4, layered nickel cobalt manganese oxides, Li3V2(PO4)3, and Li1.6Mn1.6O4, establish the interconnection between their attributes and performance, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of each material. Furthermore, we categorize and evaluate different performance-enhancing strategies, including material-design approaches (e.g., 3D structure fabrication, crystal regulation, element doping, and surface coating) and operation-optimized methods in water-flow direction, circuit operation mode, and operation parameters; we further clarify how each method influences specific aspects of electrochemical lithium extraction performance and the underlying mechanisms responsible for these improvements. The industrialization progress of electrochemical lithium extraction technology based on each faradaic material is reviewed, and the cost of these materials is introduced. By establishing a connection between material design, operational optimization, and performance outcomes, this review aims to provide valuable insights for researchers and engineers working on the next generation of faradaic materials employed in electrochemical lithium extraction and to inspire innovative approaches in faradaic material development and process optimization, paving the way for more sustainable and cost-effective lithium recovery from brines.

Key words: Faradaic materials, Lithium extraction, Performance enhancement, Electrochemical method