Abstract
Nuclear energy owing its low cost and being environmentally benign is considered a potential alternative to resolve global issues related to energy requirements and it mostly requires uranium dioxide as fuel. With the ssimilarintention, firstly we synthesized uranium type (IV) deep eutectic solvent (UT4D) employing uranyl nitrate hexahydrate (UNH) and Urea via mechanochemical synthesis which is indeed the first report on actinide deep eutectic solvent (AnDES). The optimum mole fraction for formation of DES was found to be 0.2:0.8 for UNH: Urea respectively which was further confirmed using thermodynamic phase diagram. The formation of DES was confirmed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Various physical properties were also evaluated for UT4D such as melting point, moisture contents, viscosity, and density. Thermal studies suggested that UT4D is stable from −5.2 to 300 °C and there is a strong interaction parameter obtained in the present UT4D which was attributed to hydrogen bonding and the complexation of urea with UNH. Uranium ion was found to exist in U(VI) oxidation state in the form of oxo uranyl ion in UT4D. Electrochemical investigation suggested the stabilization of most unstable U(V) state by virtue of the formation of hydrogen bonded complex of uranium and urea in the DES. Further scanning the potential to more negative direction leads to reduction of U(V) ion to UO2. The optimized electrochemical parameters were further used for the electrosynthesis of UO2 nanoparticles (UDNPs) and thus offer a very green and cost-effective synthesis of UDNPs.
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