Molecular Design of Redox-active Polymers for Selective Electrochemical Separations

Innovations in separation science are critical for securing our supply-chain, enabling sustainable manufacturing, and ensuring clean air and water at a global scale. Electric fields and electrochemical reactions have the potential to unlock new separation technologies. By tuning redox-electron transfer, molecular selectivity can be achieved in electrochemically-driven separations to tackle key challenges in energy and sustainability.
First, I will present my lab’s efforts in the bottom-up design of redox-active polymer electrosorbents for ion-selective separations. In-situ interfacial measurements and multiscale modeling help elucidate the underlying mechanisms for ion selectivity. We track changes in solvation and redox-film swelling during electrosorption using in-situ neutron reflectometry. These redox-polymer systems are then leveraged for the recovery and purification of a range of critical elements. Second, redox-copolymers are created for the electrochemical capture and release of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Macromolecular design becomes key for balancing hydrophobicity, electrostatics, and fluorophilicity for short-chain PFAS removal.
Finally, chirality can be imparted onto redox-polymers, to enable molecular recognition and even electrochemically-mediated enantioselective separations. In sum, we highlight the generalizability of electrochemical pathways for separations, and the applicability of redox-polymers for a broad range of contexts.