Integration of adsorption and reduction for uranium uptake based on SrTiO3/TiO2 electrospun nanofibers

Abstract

Abstract The integration of adsorption and reduction for uranium uptake via photoelectrochemical method was conducted based on hetero-structure SrTiO3/TiO2 electrospun nanofibers. The SrTiO3/TiO2 was fabricated by two steps. First, TiO2 nanofibers were prepared via electrospinning, and then the SrTiO3 cubes grew on the surface of TiO2 nanofibers to form heterostructure by in situ hydrothermal treatment. For the uranium uptake based on photoelectrochemical method, the FTO electrodes modified by SrTiO3/TiO2 electrospun nanofibers removed uranium concentration by 81 ppm, higher than TiO2 nanoparticles, SrTiO3 nanoparticles and TiO2 electrospun nanofibers (59 ppm, 40 ppm and 70 ppm respectively). Besides, the photocurrent of these materials was also measured through photoelectrochemical measurements. Meanwhile, surface analyses using various techniques (Scanning electron microscopic, Transmission electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) was also performed. Finally, the mechanism of electron transfer between SrTiO3/TiO2 and uranium was proposed.