Cansu Kök presents work at the Capacitive Deionization and Electrochemical Separation (CDI&E) in Seoul (Republic of Korea). She gives an oral presentation with the title: “Interalkyl-MXene electrodes for selective and stable Lithium-ion extraction from aqueous solutions”.
New paper published in Journal of Hazardous Materials. This UFZ-led work explores how effectively electrically charged activated carbon removes organic pollutants from water depends strongly on their molecular structure. Studying 21 compounds in tap water, we found that the adsorption of many nonaromatic compounds can be controlled by the applied voltage. Aromatic compounds behave differently: some remain bound to the carbon even after the voltage is reversed, making electrical regeneration more difficult.
Here is a 3-sentence homepage summary in American English:
New paper published in Desalination. Our new study shows how heteroatom engineering can make carbon electrodes more selective for lithium-ion recovery during capacitive deionization. Using anthracite-derived activated carbon, we compared nitrogen/sulfur co-doping and boron doping in complex brackish water containing Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+, revealing complementary effects: N,S co-doping improves lithium selectivity, while boron doping increases overall ion uptake and lithium recovery. These findings provide a simple carbon-based strategy for designing electrochemical desalination electrodes for lithium recovery from multi-ion saline waters.
Volker Presser has been recognized as a MINT Ambassador for his commitment to science and STEM education. The distinction was awarded by the national initiative “MINT Zukunft schaffen!” at a ceremony in Saarbrücken.
Photo credit: (c) Carsten Simon
Saïd Mondahchouo gives an oral presentation at the Journées de Chimie Analytique conference in Yaoundé, Cameroon. His talk is titled “Capacitive Deionization vs. Desalination Battery: Chemistry, Performance Metrics, and Ion Immobilization Mechanisms”.
Welcome Sylwia Jopa, who is a PhD student at the Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Warsaw (Poland). She will be working with us on advanced electrochemical in situ methods under the guidance of Mingren Liu. Great to have you with us!
Welcome Firmin Parfait Tchoumi! Supported by the German Academic Exchange Organization (DAAD), he will be exploring MXene materials with us. Happy to have you with us!
New collaborative paper (lead: Gündoğ Yücesan) published in ACS Nano. We have developed a new nickel–vanadium phosphonate framework that combines redox-active metal centers with a chemically robust layered structure for aqueous energy storage. The material remains stable from pH 2 to 10, delivers up to about 300 F/g under slow-scan conditions, and retains its performance over more than 10,000 charge-discharge cycles in neutral and acidic electrolytes. Its sustainable water-based synthesis, broad pH tolerance, and exceptional cycling stability make it a promising platform for next-generation aqueous supercapacitors.
New collaborative paper published in Macromolecular Rapid Communications. In this study, we demonstrate a particle-templating strategy to create hierarchically porous, chemically functional coatings on cellulose fibers. Silica-polymer core-shell particles are deposited on cellulose paper and subsequently etched to generate porous polymer coatings with tunable surface chemistry, including hydroxy and epoxy groups. This approach opens new opportunities for smart cellulose-based filtration systems, paper-based sensors, and functional adsorbers.
Two contributions to the 16th International Symposium on Electrokinetics (ELKIN) in The Hague, NL from our team.
Welcome Amina Boutahar! As a visiting Ph.D. student from Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (Marocco), she will be working on electrochemical desalination.
Welcome Maximilian Müller! He will be working on MXene materials for energy storage.
New paper published in Water Research in collaboration with Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (Navid Saeidi & Anett Georgi). Electrosorption is an emerging approach for removing and concentrating trace organic contaminants from water, including PFAS and pharmaceuticals, by combining conductive adsorbents with electrical control. This Making Waves article argues that such systems should not simply borrow terminology and performance metrics from capacitive deionization, because trace-organic removal is often governed by adsorption affinity, selectivity, pore accessibility, and controlled release rather than charge-storage capacity. We propose a clearer terminology and reporting framework centered on metrics such as adsorption coefficients, breakthrough behavior, recovery, and enrichment to support better comparison between studies and accelerate the rational design of electrosorption technologies for water treatment.
In a new collaborative paper in Advanced Functional Materials, we report an exfoliation-induced electrochemical reconstruction strategy that transforms CuCoAl layered double hydroxides into an amorphous/crystalline heterostructure for efficient nitrate reduction to ammonia. The reconstructed catalyst combines metallic Cu, crystalline Co(OH)2, and amorphous CoOOH, enabling high ammonia selectivity, excellent Faradaic efficiency, and strong cycling stability. Beyond catalyst design, the study also demonstrates a Zn-NO2– battery concept that links nitrate removal, ammonia production, and energy storage in one system.
Prof. Dr. Volker Presser has been elected Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE). This distinction recognizes his scientific contributions to electrochemical materials and technologies. The ISE Fellowship is awarded to a small group of active researchers for continuing scientific and technical achievements in electrochemistry. Within ISE, Fellows represent only a small fraction of the active membership, and typically only a few new Fellows are elected each year.
Congratulation to Delvina Tarimo for being recognized as an outstanding reviewer for the RSC Journal Energy Advances in 2025!
Welcome new student intern Louisa Schöndorf, who will be working on next generation battery materials and technologies 🔋
New collaborative work with University of Granada (Silvia Ahualli) published in RSC Energy Advances. This study explores an electrochemical route for selective lithium recovery from saline water using lithium manganese oxide, whose spinel structure can reversibly intercalate lithium ions under controlled cell voltages. By combining lithium manganese oxide with polyelectrolyte coatings, the work links ion selectivity, release dynamics, and electrode durability in both LiCl and mixed LiCl/NaCl solutions. Lithium uptake increased strongly with applied voltage, reaching values above 40 mg/g at 1.2 V, while the soft-electrode design maintained lithium selectivity even under challenging sodium-rich conditions.
New paper published on electrochemical Li-ion extraction in the context of lithium-ion battery recycling in ChemSusChem. In this collaborative work with Fachhochschule Münster, we demonstrate an electrochemical route to recover lithium ions directly from real battery recycling process water generated during the wet shredding of lithium iron phosphate batteries. Using an LFP-based selective desalination cell, the process produced a lithium-rich recovery solution with 96% purity, an average lithium uptake of 41 mg/g, and a low energy demand of only 1.10 kWh/kg. This study highlights electrochemical lithium recovery as a promising, lower-energy, and less chemically intensive pathway toward more circular battery recycling.
As tradition over the last almos 15 years, our team presents our work at the Ph.D. day of Saarland University. This year, we had the following presenters:
Peter Burger: Electrochemical lithium-ion recovery from battery recycling process water
Jean Gustavo de Andrade Ruthes: Electrochemical Behavior of metal and covalent organic frameworks – toward tunable redox-active materials
Cansu Kök: Composite membrane-based lithium-ion extraction from brines and seawater
Liying Xue: Hierarchical MoO2/Mo2C nanoflowers for lithium-ion batteries anodes
