Separation of elements using polyoxometalates and cations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026084973-A1
Application number	US-202519373462-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 29, 2025
Priority date	Apr 15, 2022
Publication date	Mar 26, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A product, in accordance with one embodiment, includes at least one polyoxometalate in at least an effective amount that, when combined with a solution comprising a solvent and at least two elements selected from the group consisting of: scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), one or more lanthanides, and one or more actinides, forms complexes with at least one of the elements. The product also includes a cation in at least an effective amount that when combined with the solution having the at least one polyoxometalate therein, causes precipitation of at least some of the complexes of one of the elements such that substantially all of another of the elements remains in the solution during precipitation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A product, comprising:
at least one polyoxometalate in at least an effective amount that, when combined with a solution comprising a solvent and at least two elements selected from the group consisting of: scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), one or more lanthanides, and one or more actinides, forms complexes with at least one of the elements; and a cation in at least an effective amount that when combined with the solution having the at least one polyoxometalate therein, causes precipitation of at least some of the complexes of one of the elements such that substantially all of another of the elements remains in the solution during precipitation.

2 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polyoxometalate is present in a first container, wherein the cation is present in a second container.

3 . The product of claim 2 , comprising the solvent in a third container.

4 . The product of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two elements is an f-block element selected from the group consisting of: lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), lutetium (Lu), actinium (Ac), thorium (Th), protactinium (Pa), uranium (U), neptunium (Np), plutonium (Pu), americium (Am), curium (Cm), berkelium (Bk), californium (Cf), einsteinium (Es), fermium (Fm), mendelevium (Md), nobelium (No), and lawrencium (Lr).

5 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two elements include an actinide and a lanthanide.

6 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two elements include two or more actinides.

7 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two elements include two or more rare earth elements selected from the group consisting of: scandium (Sc), yttrium (Y), and one or more lanthanides.

8 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two elements include a lanthanide and an element selected from the group consisting of: scandium and yttrium.

9 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least two elements include an actinide and an element selected from the group consisting of: scandium and yttrium.

10 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the solvent is water.

11 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the solution is completely inorganic.

12 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polyoxometalate has a charge of at least −5.

13 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the at least one polyoxometalate is selected from the group consisting of: a polyoxotungstate, a polyoxomolybate, a polyoxovanadate, a polyoxoniobate, and a polyoxotantalate.

14 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the cation is selected from the group consisting of: lithium (Li), sodium (Na), potassium (K), rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), francium (Fr), beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), radium (Ra), ammonium, and ethlyammonium.

15 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the cation is in the form of a salt.

16 . The product of claim 1 , wherein the cation is cesium (Cs).

17 . The product of claim 1 , comprising at least a second cation that is different than the cation.

18 . The product of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the at least one polyoxometalate present in the product is at least two times an expected concentration of one of the at least two elements in the solution.

19 . The product of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the cation present in the product is at least 20 times an expected concentration of one of the at least two elements in the solution.

20 . The product of claim 1 , comprising instructions for adding the effective amounts of the at least one polyoxometalate and the cation for causing the precipitation.

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Deblonde Gauthier

Classifications

• C22B59/00

  Obtaining rare earth metals · CPC title

• C22B34/00

  Obtaining refractory metals · CPC title

• C22B3/44

  by chemical processes (treatment or purification of solutions by liquid-liquid extraction C22B3/26, by ion-exchange extraction C22B3/42) · CPC title

• C01B35/128 Primary

  containing plural metal or metal and ammonium · CPC title