Nanotrap Grafted Anionic MOF for Superior Uranium Extraction from Seawater

Abstract

On‐demand uranium extraction from seawater (UES) can mitigate growing sustainable energy needs, while high salinity and low concentration hinder its recovery. A novel anionic metal‐organic framework (iMOF‐1A) is demonstrated adorned with rare Lewis basic pyrazinic sites as uranyl‐specific nanotrap serving as robust ion exchange material for selective uranium extraction, rendering its intrinsic ionic characteristics to minimize leaching. Ionic adsorbents sequestrate 99.8% of the uranium in 120 mins (from 20,000 ppb to 24 ppb) and adsorb large amounts of 1336.8 mg g−1 and 625.6 mg g−1 from uranium‐spiked deionized water and artificial seawater, respectively, with high distribution coefficient, KdU ≥ 0.97 × 106 mL g−1. The material offers a very high enrichment index of ≈5754 and it achieves the UES standard of 6.0 mg g−1 in 16 days, and harvests 9.42 mg g−1 in 30 days from natural seawater. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) studies quantify thermodynamic parameters, previously uncharted in uranium sorption experiments. Infrared nearfield nanospectroscopy (nano‐FTIR) and tip‐force microscopy (TFM) enable chemical and mechanical elucidation of host‐guest interaction at atomic level in sub‐micron crystals revealing extant capture events throughout the crystal rather than surface solely. Comprehensive experimentally guided computational studies reveal ultrahigh‐selectivity for uranium from seawater, marking mechanistic insight.

Surface wettability guiding in situ cultivation engineering of hollow polymer nanospheres for persistent efficient uranium extraction

“…S4,† the removal efficiency of m-CNTs@H-PDA-AO surpasses 92% when exposed to U( vi ) concentrations of 50, 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 ppb, which is comparable to the reported literature. 57,58 This outcome underscores the substantial promise of m-CNTs@H-PDA-AO for practical applications in real conditions.…”

Adsorbents for the Uranium Capture from Seawater for a Clean Energy Source and Environmental Safety: A Review

“…Recently a significant piece of work was carried out by Ghosh and co-workers 44 based on ionic MOFs (i-MOFs-A; iMOF-1A) for uranium extraction with an outstanding uranium adsorption capacity of 9.42 mg/g in 30 days from natural seawater. In this study, anionic MOF based material was exploited to adsorb uranium by an ion exchange and interaction mechanism.…”

“…The important proceedings in this study include the new improvement in the preparation of uranium adsorbents including nanostructured materials, which includes the research on porous organic polymers, ,, porous aromatic frameworks, ,− metal–organic frameworks, − covalent organic frameworks, nanofibers, − organic/inorganic nanocomposites, − and biomaterials including cellulose, − chitosan, etc. ,− …”

Mechanistical Insights into the Ultrasensitive Detection of Radioactive and Chemotoxic UO22+ Ions by a Porous Anionic Co-Metal–Organic Framework

“…1−3 Nuclear power is one such mature, reliable, long-term, sustainable, and highly efficient clean energy technology capable of fulfilling this huge energy demand for the upcoming decades while mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. 4,5 Thus, the application of nuclear energy has become more and more widespread in the military, medicine, agriculture, and other scientific research fields. However, the fast and large-scale development of the nuclear power industry has brought out many environmental issues, including the enhancement of radioactive waste contaminations in water resources.…”

“…As the majority of power is currently supplied by burning of traditional fossil fuels, not only that it slowly exhausts the nonrenewable energy reservoirs but also the harmful effects on the environment and biodiversity have spread inevitably. Given the urgency of the huge energy crisis, researchers are motivated to find some alternative sustainable energy solutions to resolve the concerns regarding global energy consumption. − Nuclear power is one such mature, reliable, long-term, sustainable, and highly efficient clean energy technology capable of fulfilling this huge energy demand for the upcoming decades while mitigating the negative impacts of climate change. , Thus, the application of nuclear energy has become more and more widespread in the military, medicine, agriculture, and other scientific research fields. However, the fast and large-scale development of the nuclear power industry has brought out many environmental issues, including the enhancement of radioactive waste contaminations in water resources.…”