MoS2 decorated heteroatoms doped carbon microspheres for efficient separation of uranium from wastewater

Abstract

Uranium serves as a fundamental element for sustainable nuclear reactor energy. Hence, the extraction and enrichment of uranium from radioactive wastewater is of considerable significance for both nuclear power utilization and environmental protection. In this study, carbon microspheres (TAC) doped with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur were derived from ternary polyphosphazene. Subsequently, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) was integrated using hydrothermal method to fabricate the TAC/MoS2 composite, which is designed for the efficient enrichment and separation of uranyl ions. Owing to the unique two-dimensional structure of MoS2 and its strong affinity towards uranyl ions, the adsorption capacity of the composite was significantly enhanced to 399.6 mg/g within 80 min at pH 5 and 298.15 K. Additionally, the composite exhibited commendable thermal stability and hydrophilicity, declaring that it is an outstanding candidate for the efficient enrichment and separation of uranyl ions. Further mechanism studies through XPS analysis and DFT calculations suggested that the vacancies introduced by MoS2 can generate electrostatic interactions and coordination effects with uranyl ions, thereby improving the adsorption performance of the composite. Due to its straightforward preparation process and exceptional adsorption performance, TAC/MoS2 possesses broad application prospects in the extraction of uranium from wastewater.