Light and electricity offer new way to control ion separation in membranes

AI Summary

Researchers describe a light- and electricity-based method for controlling how ions separate in membranes. The approach could improve the separation of substances such as lithium, magnesium, and potassium from natural or industrial solutions, a challenge relevant to raw-material processing.

Lithium, magnesium, potassium and many other ions usually occur together in natural and industrial solutions. Separating them from one another is a challenge, for example, in the extraction and processing of raw materials.