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Peptide surfactants (PEPS) are studied to capture and retain rare earth elements (REEs) at air–water interfaces to enable REE separations. 

Rare earth elements (REEs) are critical materials to modern technologies. They are obtained by selective separation from mining feedstocks consisting of mixtures of their trivalent cation. We are developing an all-aqueous, bioinspired, interfacial separation using peptides as amphiphilic molecular extractants. Lanthanide binding tags (LBTs) are amphiphilic peptide sequences based on the EF-hand metal binding loops of calcium-binding proteins which complex selectively REEs. We study LBTs optimized for coordination to Tb³⁺using luminescence spectroscopy, surface tensiometry, X-ray reflectivity, and X-ray fluorescence near total reflection, and find that these LBTs capture Tb³⁺in bulk and adsorb the complex to the interface. Molecular dynamics show that the binding pocket remains intact upon adsorption. We find that, if the net negative charge on the peptide results in a negatively charged complex, excess cations are recruited to the interface by nonselective Coulombic interactions that compromise selective REE capture. If, however, the net negative charge on the peptide is −3, resulting in a neutral complex, a 1:1 surface ratio of cation to peptide is achieved. Surface adsorption of the neutral peptide complexes from an equimolar mixture of Tb³⁺and La³⁺demonstrates a switchable platform dictated by bulk and interfacial effects. The adsorption layer becomes enriched in the favored Tb³⁺when the bulk peptide is saturated, but selective to La³⁺for undersaturation due to a higher surface activity of the La³⁺complex.