Phosphorus Nitride Imide Nanotubes for Uranium Capture from Seawater

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nuclear Engineering
• Environmental Chemistry

Background:

• Nuclear power is essential for global energy, requiring efficient uranium extraction from seawater.
• Adsorption-based methods are key for advancing nuclear fuel sourcing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize phosphorus nitride imide (PN) nanotubes for selective uranium adsorption from seawater.
• To evaluate the efficiency and capacity of PN nanotubes in capturing uranium.

Main Methods:

• Solvothermal synthesis of PN nanotubes with fractal-inspired structures.
• Detailed characterization of nanotube morphology and chemical properties.
• Adsorption experiments using low U-spiked and natural seawater.

Main Results:

• PN nanotubes exhibited chemically stable, cross-linked tubular hollow structures.
• A uniformly distributed five-coordinated nanopocket facilitated selective uranium binding.
• Captured 97.34% of uranium from spiked seawater with high adsorption capacity (435.58 mg g⁻¹).
• Achieved a high distribution coefficient (Kd U > 8.71 × 10⁷ mL g⁻¹).
• Demonstrated a significant adsorption capacity of 7.01 mg g⁻¹ in natural seawater.

Conclusions:

• PN nanotubes show excellent selectivity and efficiency for uranium extraction from seawater.
• The facile and scalable production of PN nanotubes supports their potential for large-scale implementation.
• This advancement is critical for sustainable nuclear power and resource recovery.