Synthesis of quaternized glass fiber filter and study on its adsorption for Pu (IV)

Abstract

In this study, a novel pretreatment material was developed for the separation of trace plutonium (Pu) in complex systems. Glass fiber filters, known for their resistance to chemical corrosion, radiation and thermal stability, were used as the base material for separation and enrichment. However, the number of active groups on the surface of the matrix material was limited, resulting in poor chemical grafting efficiency. To address this, a new method is proposed involving deposition and chemical grafting. A polydopamine coating was formed on the filter surface through the oxidation and self-polymerization reaction of dopamine. Subsequently, the coupling agent chloromethyltrimethoxysilane and the extraction agent trioctylamine were employed to quaternize the glass fiber filter, resulting in the synthesis of a novel pretreatment material. Various characterization techniques were employed to investigate the morphology and surface functional group structure. Finally, the material was applied in the adsorption of trace plutonium, and the adsorption performance and mechanism for plutonium (IV) (Pu4+) were explored. The adsorption results indicated that when the nitrate acidity was 4 mol/l, the adsorption capacity of the material reached its maximum value. The adsorption capacity reached equilibrium within 360 s. The maximum adsorption capacity of GF-PD-CTS-TOA for plutonium (IV) was 20.35 mg/g (0.085 mmol/g). Complex anions Pu(NO3)6 2− and Pu(NO3)5 − were the main forms of plutonium (IV) adsorption. This is the first time that this method was used to modify glass fiber filters, and this study represents the first application of functionalized glass fiber filters in the analysis and separation of radioactive elements during reprocessing.