US 12,359,279 B2
Conjugated polymers for the selective electroless recovery of gold and silver from solutions
Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Wilmette, IL (US); and Shulan Ma, Beijing (CN)
Assigned to Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (US)
Appl. No. 17/439,309
Filed by Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (US)
PCT Filed Mar. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/022950
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 14, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/190856, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 24, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/820,978, filed on Mar. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0154307 A1, May 19, 2022
Int. Cl. C22B 11/00 (2006.01); C22B 3/42 (2006.01)
CPC C22B 11/042 (2013.01) [C22B 3/42 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of removing gold ions, silver ions, or both gold and silver ions from a sample comprising the gold ions, silver ions, or both gold and silver ions using an anion-doped conjugated polymer comprising:
a conjugated, positively charged backbone of conjugated rings; and
dopant anions associated with the conjugated, positively charged backbone, wherein the dopant anions comprise nitrate anions, acetate anions, or a combination of nitrate anions and acetate anions,
the method comprising:
combining the anion-doped conjugated polymer with the sample, wherein gold ions, silver ions, or both gold ions and silver ions are adsorbed by the anion-doped conjugated polymer and undergo electroless reduction to elemental gold, elemental silver, or both elemental gold and elemental silver; and
removing the anion-doped conjugated polymer and the elemental gold, elemental silver, or both elemental gold and elemental silver from the sample.