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Gathering lithium, a crucial element in batteries for smartphones, electric cars and the electrical grid, is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process, but new technology could make it much easier.

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin developed a new way to separate lithium from other co-occurring elements, potentially speeding up extraction of this critical element and increasing domestic supply. They developed nanoscale, artificial channels, inspired by the natural doors that let ions and molecules in and out of living cells, that allow lithium to pass through while restricting other competing ions that typically come with it.

These channels, tiny pores that sit inside membranes, were two to five times more selective for lithium compared with other recently developed lithium transporters. The researchers say their channels are among the most selective ever created.

"Lithium is in our phones, our cars and the power grid, but getting it out of the ground cleanly is still a hard problem," said Manish Kumar, a professor in the Fariborz Maseeh Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering and the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering who is one of the leaders of the new research published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. "Our goal is a process that is faster, cleaner and easier to run."

Lithium is found in underground salty water called brine , in hard rock and in recycled batteries.

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