Co-construction of molecular-level uranyl-specific "nano-holes" with amidoxime and amino groups on natural bamboo strips for specifically capturing uranium from seawater

Ying Wang; Zaiwen Lin; Jiahui Zhu; Jingyuan Liu; Jing Yu; Qi Liu; Rongrong Chen; Ying Li; Jun Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129407

Co-construction of molecular-level uranyl-specific "nano-holes" with amidoxime and amino groups on natural bamboo strips for specifically capturing uranium from seawater

J Hazard Mater. 2022 Sep 5:437:129407. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129407. Epub 2022 Jun 17.

Authors

Ying Wang¹, Zaiwen Lin¹, Jiahui Zhu², Jingyuan Liu¹, Jing Yu¹, Qi Liu³, Rongrong Chen⁴, Ying Li⁵, Jun Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China.
² Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China. Electronic address: jiahuizhu@hrbeu.edu.cn.
³ Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China; Hainan Harbin Institute of Technology Innovation Research Institute Co., Ltd., Hainan 572427, China. Electronic address: qiliu@hrbeu.edu.cn.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Superlight Materials and Surface Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China; Institute of Advanced Marine Materials, Harbin Engineering University, 150001, China.
⁵ Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130023, China.

PMID: 35749900
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129407

Abstract

Efficiently capturing of uranium (VI) [U(VI)] from seawater elicits unparalleled attraction for sustaining the uplifted requirement for nuclear fuel. However, obtaining the abundant U(VI) resource from seawater has always seriously restricted by competitive adsorption from higher concentrations of competitors, especially vanadium (V) [V(V)]. Herein, based on amidoximized natural bamboo strips with hierarchical porous structure, the molecular-level uranyl-specific "nano-holes" was co-constructed by the intramolecular hydrogen bonds for specifically trapping U(VI) from seawater. Manipulating the branched degrees of amino groups enabled the creation of a series of the molecular-level uranyl-specific "nano-holes" that exhibit ultrahigh affinity and selective adsorption of U(VI) with a adsorption capacity 1.8 fold higher compared to that of V(V) after 30 days floating in the Yellow Sea basin, conquering the long-term challenge of the competitive adsorption of V(V) for amidoxime-based adsorbents applied to extract U(VI) from seawater. The diameter of the molecular-level uranyl-specific "nano-holes" is approximately 12.07 Å, significantly larger than (UO₂)₃(OH)₃⁺ (10.37 Å) and smaller than HV₁₀O₂₈^5-, thereby exhibiting specifically trapping of U(VI) in a series of adsorption experiments with different U(VI)-V(V) ratios. Besides, the adsorption model based on the combination of experimental and theoretical results is accompanied by "hydrogen bond breaking and coordination bond formation".

Keywords: Amidoxime groups; Amino groups; Bamboo strips; Intramolecular hydrogen bonds; Uranium extraction from seawater.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Oximes / chemistry
Seawater / chemistry
Uranium* / chemistry

Substances

Oximes
amidoxime
Uranium