Speeding up the selective extraction of uranium through in situ formed nano-pockets

• Published in: Journal of materials chemistry. A, Materials for energy and sustainability Materials for energy and sustainability, 2023-07, Vol.11 (28), p.15437-15443
• Main Authors: Pan, Zhihao, Zhao, Lin, Cai, Lirong, Wang, Shiyong, Lu, Bing, Zhang, Pingyu, Wang, Gang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aerogels; Chemical analysis; Gels; Hydroxyl groups; Nuclear energy; Nuclear reactor components; Nuclear reactors; Phosphorus; Polymers; Seawater; Selective adsorption; Sorbents; Sustainable development; Uranium; Water analysis
• ISSN: 2050-7488; 2050-7496
• DOI: 10.1039/D3TA03086E

Seeking an efficient sorbent for capturing uranium from seawater is the key to ensure the sustainable development of nuclear energy. Herein, electron-rich covalent polymer aerogels (ECP gels) with an independent self-supporting structure were facilely developed by a precipitation polycondensation method. The electron-rich ligand 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) regulates electron arrangement around PN and enhances its binding capacity as a Lewis basic site. The ECP gels reached equilibrium in 2 min and exhibited a groundbreaking adsorption rate of 203.01 mg g −1 min −1 . EXAFS analysis and DFT calculations revealed that the PN and in situ generated rich accessible phosphorus hydroxyl group assembled into nano-pockets to provide an electronic-rich environment for uranium selective adsorption. Exposed in natural seawater, the ECP gels reached an outstanding uranium uptake capacity of 10.43 mg g −1 . The novel ECP gels have great potential for efficient and rapid extraction of uranium from seawater.