Ultra-selective uranium separation by in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework

Qing Yun Zhang; Lin Juan Zhang; Jian Qiu Zhu; Le Le Gong; Zhe Cheng Huang; Feng Gao; Jian Qiang Wang; Xian Qing Xie; Feng Luo

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-44663-4

Ultra-selective uranium separation by in-situ formation of π-f conjugated 2D uranium-organic framework

Nat Commun. 2024 Jan 11;15(1):453. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-44663-4.

Authors

Qing Yun Zhang¹, Lin Juan Zhang², Jian Qiu Zhu², Le Le Gong³, Zhe Cheng Huang¹, Feng Gao¹, Jian Qiang Wang², Xian Qing Xie⁴, Feng Luo⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China.
² Key Laboratory of Interfacial Physics and Technology, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201800, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of NBC Protection for Civilian, Beijing, 100191, China.
⁴ National Engineering Research Center for Carbonhydrate Synthesis, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, 330027, China.
⁵ School of Chemistry and Materials Science, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China. ecitluofeng@163.com.

Abstract

With the rapid development of nuclear energy, problems with uranium supply chain and nuclear waste accumulation have motivated researchers to improve uranium separation methods. Here we show a paradigm for such goal based on the in-situ formation of π-f conjugated two-dimensional uranium-organic framework. After screening five π-conjugated organic ligands, we find that 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol would be the best one to construct uranium-organic framework, thus resulting in 100% uranium removal from both high and low concentration with the residual concentration far below the WHO drinking water standard (15 ppb), and 97% uranium capture from natural seawater (3.3 ppb) with a record uptake efficiency of 0.64 mg·g^-1·d^-1. We also find that 1,3,5-triformylphloroglucinol can overcome the ion-interference issue such as the presence of massive interference ions or a 21-ions mixed solution. Our finds confirm the superiority of our separation approach over established ones, and will provide a fundamental molecule design for separation upon metal-organic framework chemistry.