Abstract
Mitigating uranium transport in groundwater is imperative for ensuring access to clean water across the globe. Here, in situ resonant anomalous X-ray reflectivity is used to investigate the adsorption of uranyl on alumina (012) in acidic aqueous solutions, representing typical UVI concentrations of contaminated water near mining sites. The analyses reveal that UVI adsorbs at two distinct heights of 2.4-3.2 and 5-5.3 Å from the surface terminal oxygens. The former is interpreted as the mixture of inner-sphere and outer-sphere complexes that adsorb closest to the surface. The latter is interpreted as an outer-sphere complex that shares one equatorial H2O with the terminal surface oxygen. With increasing pH, we observe an increasing prevalence of these outer-sphere complexes, indicating the enhanced role of the hydrogen bond that stabilizes adsorbed uranyl species. The presented work provides a molecular-scale understanding of sorption of uranyl on Al-based-oxide surfaces that has implications for environmental chemistry and materials science.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
