Scalable photothermal textile adsorbents via radiation grafting and industrial dyeing for high-efficient uranium extraction from seawater

Uranium extraction from seawater (UES) is pivotal for sustaining nuclear energy, yet it remains challenging due to the ultra-dilute uranium concentration, competitive ion interference, and sluggish adsorption kinetics. Although amidoxime (AO)-based adsorbents exhibit high affinity for uranyl ions, their practical deployment is hindered by limited adsorption capacity, slow kinetics, and scalability issues. Herein, we report a scalable and industrially compatible strategy to fabricate photothermally activated textile adsorbents for efficient uranium capture from seawater. A commercial Vinyon-cotton mixed fabric (VCM) is functionalized via γ-ray-induced grafting of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), followed by amidoximation and covalent dyeing with pyrrole-2-carboxaldehyde (P2C). The resulting P2C-AO-GVCM fabric exhibits enhanced broadband light absorption, superior photothermal conversion (reaching 73 °C under 1-sun irradiation), and rapid wettability (0.27 s), facilitating uranyl ion diffusion and coordination. Under simulated solar illumination, P2C-AO-GVCM achieves a remarkable uranium adsorption capacity of 526.8 mgU g −1 in spiked seawater, 18.3 % higher than in dark conditions, and attains 11.93 mgU g −1 in natural seawater over 100 days—a 30.2 % photothermal enhancement. The adsorbent also demonstrates excellent selectivity (U/V = 1.64), reusability (>90 % capacity retention over 10 cycles), and mechanical robustness (tensile strength ~15 MPa). With a low production cost of $7.53 kg −1 adsorbent and compatibility with industrial textile processes, this work establishes a viable pathway toward scalable, high-performance photothermal adsorbents for sustainable uranium recovery from the ocean. • A scalable photothermal textile for uranium extraction is fabricated via radiation-induced grafting and industrial dyeing, ensuring industrial compatibility. • The adsorbent exhibits efficient solar-to-thermal conversion underwater, boosting uranium adsorption capacity by 30.2 % under sunlight. • It exhibits excellent reusability (>90 % over 10 cycles) and record-high uranium capacity (11.93 mg g −1 , in natural seawater) with light-enhanced selectivity. • It features robust mechanical strength (~15 MPa) and a low production cost ($7.53 kg −1 ), paving the way for practical marine deployment.