The development of functional materials for the highly efficient capture of radionuclides, such as uranium from nuclear waste water, is a trending research nowadays. Here, few-layered Zn doped graphene-like carbon nanosheets (Zn-GLCs) that are fabricated in the solvent of molten salt and applied as sorbents to remove U(VI) ions from aqueous solutions are presented. The Zn-GLCs exhibit a large capacity, wide pH suitability, an ultrafast removal rate, stability at high ionic strengths, and excellent selectivity for U(VI) as compared to classical graphene-like carbon nitride. The nanosheet structure of Zn-GLCs with average diameter of 10 nm not only assures the rapid mass diffusion, but also exposes a sufficient active site for the adsorption. Strong covalent bonds such as Zn-O-U are generated between the heteroatom with UO22+ according to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis and X-Ray Powder Diffraction. This work highlights the interaction mechanism of metal ions with UO22+, thereby shedding light on the material design of uranium immobilization in the pollution cleanup of radionuclides.

Zn-doped, graphene-like carbon nitride for uranium extraction with high capacity

2019 Fall National Meeting

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.