Congratulations to Hee-Eun and Wangsuk on their recent publication presenting the design of copolymers that incorporate platinum group metal (PGM) specific ligands with redox moieties for electrochemically controlled capture and release.
Published in Environmental Science & Technology, this study reports the design of copolymers incorporating ferrocene redox moieties and PGM-selective affinity ligands to enhance selectivity toward target PGM species while improving redox stability and reversibility. The use of electromediated release significantly reduced the acid requirement for regeneration, thereby improving the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of the PGM recovery and purification process. The findings highlight the critical role of ligand identity, adsorption/desorption conditions, and ferrocene-to-ligand ratios in optimizing selectivity, uptake capacity, and reversibility.