Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater★

doi:10.6023/A25050193

Acta Chimica Sinica ›› 2025, Vol. 83 ›› Issue (9): 987-992.DOI: 10.6023/A25050193 Previous Articles Next Articles

Communication

基于钛基金属有机框架的孔径调控策略及其在海水提铀中的应用^★

江惠星, 郑丽彬, 陈小丰, 张珍珍^*(), 陈秋水^*(), 杨黄浩^*()

福州大学化学学院新基石科学实验室食品安全与生物分析教育部重点实验室福州 350108

投稿日期:2025-05-28 发布日期:2025-07-23
作者简介:
^★ “中国青年化学家”专辑.
基金资助:
国家自然科学基金(U2441224); 国家自然科学基金(62134003); 国家自然科学基金(22305040); 福建省自然科学基金(2023J01384)

Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater^★

Huixing Jiang, Libin Zheng, Xiaofeng Chen, Zhenzhen Zhang^*(), Qiushui Chen^*(), Huanghao Yang^*()

New Cornerstone Science Laboratory & MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology & College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350108, China

Received:2025-05-28 Published:2025-07-23
Contact: * E-mail: zhenzhenzhang@fzu.edu.cn;qchen@fzu.edu.cn;hhyang@fzu.edu.cn
About author:
^★ For the VSI “Rising Stars in Chemistry”.
Supported by:
National Natural Science Foundation of China(U2441224); National Natural Science Foundation of China(62134003); National Natural Science Foundation of China(22305040); Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province(2023J01384)

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Abstract

Uranium (U) is the dominant fuel for nuclear reactors, and uranium extraction from seawater is a promising method to ensure the sustainable development of nuclear energy. However, the development of adsorbents for practical applications remains a challenge due to the extremely low concentration (≈3.3 μg•L⁻¹) and its propensity to form carbonate complexes of uranium, as well as the presence of high concentrations of competing ions. The adsorption performance of adsorbents is affected by the pore size and the distribution of adsorption active sites. Excessively narrow pores will restrict the access of target ions and thus reduce the adsorption rate. Increasing pore sizes is effective to promote the adsorption kinetics but may undermine coordination stability. How to balance the relationship between adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics is a very important issue in the process of pore size regulation. In this study, titanium-based metal-organic frameworks (Ti-MOFs) were synthesized by solvothermal method and pore size regulation strategy was utilized to improve the extraction efficiency of uranium. The materials were systematically characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Brunauer- Emmett-Teller (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), demonstrating successive synthesis of Ti-MOFs. Compared to MOF-902 with larger pores, MOF-901 adsorbents with smaller pores exhibit a higher extraction efficiency for uranium, with an adsorption capacity of up to 468.5 mg•g⁻¹. The adsorption mechanism was investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), pore size distribution and crystal structure analysis, and it was proved that MOF-901 is mainly coordinated with U through the N sites in the pore architecture and steric hindrance effect as well as pore size effect are closely related to the uranium adsorption capacity of Ti-MOFs. Adsorption experiments in simulated seawater (initial concentration of 10 mg•L⁻¹) were also carried out, and the adsorption efficiency of uranium by MOF-901 was more than 99%, demonstrating the potential application of Ti-MOFs in the field of uranium extraction from seawater.

Key words: titanium-based metal-organic framework, pore size regulation, uranium extraction from seawater, adsorption site, porous material

Cite this article

Huixing Jiang, Libin Zheng, Xiaofeng Chen, Zhenzhen Zhang, Qiushui Chen, Huanghao Yang. Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater^★[J]. Acta Chimica Sinica, 2025, 83(9): 987-992.

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Fig. & Tab. 3

Figure 1. (a) Synthesis schematic of MOF-901 and MOF-902; (b) Simulated and experimental PXRD patterns of MOF-901 and MOF-902; (c) FT-IR; (d) Nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherms; (e) SEM image of MOF-901; (f) SEM image of MOF-902; (g) TGA curve

Figure 2. (a) Uranium extraction rate of Ti-MOFs at different pH; (b) Adsorption kinetics (pH=6.0, initial concentration of 100 mg•L−1); (c) Adsorption isotherm (pH=6.0); (d) Extraction rate of MOF-901 for different ions (pH=6.0); (e) Reusability of MOF-901 (initial concentration of 20 mg•L−1); (f) Uranium adsorption ratio of Ti-MOFs in spiked seawater (concentration of 10 mg•L−1)

Figure 3. (a) XPS spectra of MOF-901 before and after adsorption of $\text{UO}_{2}^{2+}$; (b) Pore size distribution of MOF-901 and MOF-902; (c) High resolution XPS of N1s from MOF-901; (d) Schematic representation of the effect of pore aperture on uranium extraction for Ti-MOFs

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基于钛基金属有机框架的孔径调控策略及其在海水提铀中的应用^★

Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater^★

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基于钛基金属有机框架的孔径调控策略及其在海水提铀中的应用★

Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater★

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PDF

Supporting Info.

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

Fig. & Tab. 3

References 25

Related Articles 15

Recommended Articles

Metrics

Comments

基于钛基金属有机框架的孔径调控策略及其在海水提铀中的应用^★

Pore Size Regulation in Titanium-based Metal-Organic Frameworks for Uranium Extraction from Seawater^★