CCI Phase I: NSF Center for Sustainable Separations of Metals

CCI第一阶段：金属可持续分离中心，CSSM，由化学部化学创新中心项目支持。这个第一阶段中心由宾夕法尼亚大学的埃里克·谢尔特领导。来自宾夕法尼亚大学的其他团队成员包括杰西卡·安娜和约瑟夫·苏博特尼克。其他团队成员包括普渡大学的苏珊娜·巴特、西北大学的乔治·沙茨和J·弗雷泽·斯托达特、德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的乔纳森·塞斯勒和科罗拉多矿业学院的詹妮弗·谢弗。含有金属的消费品很多，例如，手机含有20多种不同的金属，其中一些处于关键或接近关键的供应中。CSSM的目标是设计和开发新的基本化学反应，使金属分离科学和技术多样化，使消费后产品和工艺能够以与当前市场价格相当或更低的成本实现99%以上的回收。CSSM通过设计和开发新的合成和氧化还原反应、计算化学和理论以及分子识别方法，开发了去除、分离和回收这些金属的新工艺。科学上更广泛的影响包括减少废物(污染)和能源消耗，以及增加国家安全(通过回收而不是进口)。将建立一个包括本科生和研究生在内的“可持续发展大使”计划。可持续发展大使直接参与研究活动，同时也接受专业发展和公共宣传培训。计划在科学博物馆和节日以及在社交媒体平台上开展外联活动。CCI第一阶段：金属可持续分离中心(CSSM)致力于消费品(如手机、笔记本电脑、电池等)中金属的可持续生产和回收。此类消费项目包括稀土元素、贵金属(金、铂和钯)以及关键或接近关键供应的其他元素。除了自然丰度低之外，这些元素在开采、提纯、从消费品中分离和填埋期间往往会造成严重的环境危害。该项目的中心假设是，将新的基础化学应用于分离将使新的和不同的金属分离模式成为可能，特别是为回收量身定做的。将发展新的合成、氧化还原、计算化学和理论，通过电动过程实现金属分配。将开发量子化学模型和基本理论来研究和预测异质电子转移速率，包括磁场的影响。与混合物中金属阳离子配位的氧化还原活性配体将通过动力学手段实现金属的预测和选择性分配。此外，还将合成对金属络合物和离子对进行选择性分离的分子识别新系统。将利用非共价相互作用对金属络合物和离子对的量身定制识别，使用选择性沉淀或层析实现贵金属、锂和稀土元素的绿色高效分离。该中心将贡献金属分离化学方面的新知识，在减少浪费和能源消耗以及缓解不可持续的金属供应链方面带来好处。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The CCI Phase I: Center for Sustainable Separations of Metals, CSSM, is supported by the Centers for Chemical Innovation Program of the Division of Chemistry. This Phase I Center is led by Eric Schelter of the University of Pennsylvania. Other team members from the University of Pennsylvania include Jessica Anna and Joseph Subotnik. Additional team members include Suzanne Bart of Purdue University, George Schatz and J. Fraser Stoddart of Northwestern University, Jonathan Sessler of the University of Texas at Austin, and Jenifer Shafer of the Colorado School of Mines. Metal-containing consumer products are many and include, for example, cell phones that incorporate more than 20 different metals, some of which are in critical or near-critical supply. The goal of CSSM is to design and develop new, fundamental chemical reactions to diversify metal separation science and technologies that enable greater than 99% recycling of post-consumer products and processes at comparable or lower costs than current market prices. CSSM develops new processes to remove, separate and recover each of these metals by designing and developing new synthetic and redox reactions, computational chemistry and theory, and molecular recognition methods. The scientific broader impacts include reduced waste (pollution) and energy consumption and increased national security (by recycling rather than importing). A "Sustainability Ambassadors" program will be established that involves undergraduates and graduate students. The Sustainability Ambassadors are directly involved in research activities while also receiving professional development and public outreach training. Outreach activities at science museums and festivals, as well on social media platforms are planned. The CCI Phase 1: Center for Sustainable Separations of Metals, CSSM, addresses the sustainable production and recycling of metals used in consumer products (e.g., cell phones, laptops, batteries, etc.). Such consumer projects include rare earth elements, precious metals (gold, platinum, and palladium), and other elements in critical or near-critical supply. In addition to being in low natural abundance, such elements often create significant environmental harm either during their mining, purification, separation from consumer goods, and landfilling. The central hypothesis for this project is that new fundamental chemistry applied to separations will enable new and varied modes of metal separations, especially tailored for recycling. New synthetic-, redox-, computational chemistry and theory will be developed to accomplish metal partitioning through electro-kinetic processes. Quantum chemical models and underlying theory, will be developed to study and predict heterogeneous electron transfer rates, including the impact of magnetic fields. Redox active ligands coordinated to metal cations in mixtures will enable predictive and selective metal partitioning through kinetic means. Additionally, new systems will be synthesized that show molecular recognition for metal complexes and ion pairs for selective separations. Tailored recognition of metal complexes and ion pairs by non-covalent interactions will be leveraged to enable green and efficient separations of precious metals, lithium, and rare earth elements using selective precipitation or chromatography. This center will contribute new knowledge in metals separations chemistry that confers benefits in terms of reduced waste and energy consumption, and relief from unsustainable metal supply chains.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.