LAUSR

Modifying the structure of Li1.6Mn1.6O4 (LMO) to enhance its structural stability and adsorption capacity is an effective method to generate materials to recover Li+ ions from mixed solution. Herein, the co-doping of trace non-metal ion (S) and metal ion (Al) into Li1.6Mn1.6O4 (LMO-SAl) is established and shows excellent Li+ adsorption capacity and Mn anti-dissolution properties. The adsorption capacity (when [Li+] is 6 mmol L−1) is increased from 26.1 mg g−1 to 33.7 mg g−1. This is attributed to improved charge density via substitution of S at O sites, which facilitates the adsorption/desorption process. The Mn dissolution is also reduced from 5.4% to 3.0% for LMO-SAl, which may result from the stronger Al–O bonds compared to Li–O bonds that enhance the structural stability of the LMO. The ion-sieving ability of the co-doped material goes by the order of Kd (Li+ > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+), indicating that Li+ can be efficiently separated from Lagoco Salt Lake brine. These results predict that lithium ions are effectively adsorbed from brine by the co-doped LMO material, which manifests the feasibility of lithium recovery and provides basic data for further industrial applications of adsorption.