A Novel Preparation and Vapour Phase Modification of 2D-open Channel
Bio-adsorbent Via ATRP for Uranium Separation
Abstract
An economical and highly uranium extraction from seawater remains a
crucial task for energy sources and environmental safety. Aiming for
improving mass transfer rate of uranium adsorption from seawater, a new
synthetic strategy was adopted for the fabrication of 2D-open channel
microporous bio-adsorbent for uranium extraction from seawater. Herein,
the in-situ ATRP grafting approach was adopted to graft divinylbenzene,
polyacrylonitrile onto the surfaces of microporous frameworks via the
vapour phase method. The post-synthetic functionalization was carried
out by hydrothermal method, where amidoxime groups are
structure-directing agents to trap uranium. Further, amidoxime groups
not only enhanced hydrophilicity but also adjusts adsorbents pKa. AO-Fc
faces minimum interference of competing ions and achieves a high uranium
adsorption capacity of 8.57±0.02 and 409±1 mg/g in seawater and
simulated solution. Despite its stable structure, AO-Fc exhibits a long
life span and negligible weight loss revealed AO-Fc could be applied as
a potential adsorbent for radionuclide.