Mn3O4@polyaniline nanocomposite with multiple active sites to capture uranium(VI) and iodide: synthesis, performance, and mechanism

Wei Yin; Tian-Lei Zhao; Yu-Han Wang; Qi-Zhi Yao; Gen-Tao Zhou

doi:10.1007/s11356-022-24073-7

Mn₃O₄@polyaniline nanocomposite with multiple active sites to capture uranium(VI) and iodide: synthesis, performance, and mechanism

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Mar;30(11):30130-30143. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-24073-7. Epub 2022 Nov 24.

Authors

Wei Yin^{1

2}, Tian-Lei Zhao^{1

2}, Yu-Han Wang^{1

2}, Qi-Zhi Yao³, Gen-Tao Zhou^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
² CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
³ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China.
⁴ Deep Space Exploration Laboratory/School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China. gtzhou@ustc.edu.cn.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Crust-Mantle Materials and Environments, School of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China. gtzhou@ustc.edu.cn.
⁶ CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, Hefei, 230026, China. gtzhou@ustc.edu.cn.

PMID: 36427123
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-24073-7

Abstract

A major challenge for radioactive wastewater treatment and associated environmental remediation is how to simultaneously remove cationic and anionic radionuclides. Herein, a series of Mn₃O₄@polyaniline (Mn₃O₄@PANI) nanocomposites were successfully prepared and used to remove U(VI) and I^- from aqueous solution, two highly concomitant species in nuclear pollution settings. Batch adsorption experiments reveal that the component Mn₃O₄ is predominantly responsible for U(VI) removal, but PANI for I^-. The nanocomposite with 24.2 wt% Mn₃O₄ possesses high removal percentages (> 85%) either for U(VI) or I^- over a wide pH range, fast removal kinetics, and excellent adsorption selectivity at high concentrations of competing ions. Benefiting from the contributions of the two components and the high adsorption affinities, the nanocomposite achieves the simultaneous removal to coexisting U(VI) and I^-, with a maximum adsorption capacity 102.6 mg/g for U(VI) and 126.1 mg/g for I^-. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results reveal that the U(VI) adsorption occurs via coordination bonding with Mn-O, -NH- , and =N- groups in the nanocomposite, whereas I^- adsorption proceeds mainly through I anionic species exchange with Cl^- and interactions with π-bonds in PANI, as well as the electrostatic attraction onto Mn₃O₄. Considering the excellent performance and multiple active sites, the Mn₃O₄@PANI nanocomposite is promising to remove practical radioactive U(VI) and I^-.

Keywords: Adsorption removal; Iodine; Mn3O4; Nanocomposite; Polyaniline; Uranium.

MeSH terms

Adsorption
Catalytic Domain
Cations
Iodides
Kinetics
Nanocomposites* / chemistry
Uranium* / analysis

Substances

Iodides
Uranium
polyaniline
Cations

Grants and funding

XDB 41000000/Chinese Academy of Sciences