A solid-state “atomic channel” for separating rare earth ele

A solid-state “atomic channel” for separating rare earth elements

What happened

Researchers at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have discovered a cleaner method to separate rare earth elements using a layered form of manganese oxide.
The research was conducted by Assoc. Prof. Chong Liu's lab at University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, with colleagues at Northwestern University and Argonne National Lab.
The study was published in Nature Chemical Engineering on July 21, 2026.
The study was published on July 21, 2026.
Assoc. Prof. Chong Liu stated: 'This is the first time that people have used electrochemical intercalation and harnessed the structural characteristics to separate similar lanthanides, which are intrinsically very hard to separate.'
George Schatz stated: 'This kind of separation is competitive with other rare earth separation methods, but it's done in water, without organic solvents.'
There are 17 rare earth elements, including the 15 lanthanides, plus scandium and yttrium.
With the addition of magnesium, the enrichment of neodymium over lanthanum increased from a 1.6-fold difference to a 5.4-fold difference.
After two cycles of purification, researchers achieved a neodymium sample that was 97% pure.
The method is not yet ready to be scaled up to replace industrial purification.

There are 17 rare earth elements, including the 15 lanthanides, plus scandium and yttrium. (17)
With the addition of magnesium, the enrichment of neodymium over lanthanum increased from a 1.6-fold difference to a 5.4-fold difference. (1.6-fold to 5.4-fold)
After two cycles of purification, researchers achieved a neodymium sample that was 97% pure. (97%)