Abstract
Developing simple and efficient new strategies for uranium extraction from seawater (UES) is crucial for addressing the energy crisis. Here, we proposed a mild strategy to prepare a layer-by-layer assembly membrane (LAM) by polydopamine (PDA) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) co-deposition coupled with polyethyleneimine/phytic acid self-assembly for efficient uranium extraction. By regulating the number of self-assemblies, the performance of the membrane could be easily adjusted. The functional coating’s rich active groups (–NH2, -PO43-, –OH) provided a good adsorption performance for the modified membrane, with a static adsorption capacity of 142.25 mg·g−1. Meanwhile, it possessed excellent dynamic removal rate, which could achieve over 90 % uranium removal within 90 min. The LAM also exhibited exceptional adsorption selectivity, boasting a remarkable 9:1 ratio in extracting uranium and vanadium. Furthermore, the strong adhesion of PDA endowed the material with good stability, and the adsorption capacity only decreased by 23 % after 5 cycles. DFT calculations proved that PEI/PA-U was the most stable model. Particularly, the adsorption capacity of LAM in natural seawater can reach 0.99 mg·g−1. With the simple and mild preparation process, along with the excellent adsorption performance, the LAM membrane holds great promise for seawater uranium enrichment.
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