Phosphate‐Based Materials: Promising Candidate for Strontium and Uranium Removal Application

ABSTRACT The accumulation of radionuclides in the environment is one of the primary concerns of the nuclear industry. Hence, developing solutions for the removal of radionuclides before releasing them to the environment is undoubtedly important not only for the sustainable development of green nuclear energy but also for the environment, human health, and other applications. In this direction, developing materials with high removal capacity, preferably high selectivity, cost‐effectiveness, environmental compatibility, excellent radiation resistance, and good stability has received considerable attention. Phosphates are one of the promising candidates for the adsorption of Sr and U because of their excellent ion exchange capacity, cost‐effectiveness, ease of availability, and radiation resistance. Vast research has been done on these phosphate materials in recent years, and a number of sorbents have been reported, indicating the importance of a comprehensive review to identify a suitable candidate for this purpose. However, a systematic and categorical review on this topic, to the best of our knowledge, is not available. Inspired by this gap, this review collates information starting from fundamentals to various advancements and strategies developed to enhance their capacity as adsorbents. The key points discussed include the effect of doping, defect engineering, and the formation of composites hence resulting changes in interlayer spacing, morphology, crystal structure, and so forth, which will further help the material to act as a good sorbent and removal agent with enhanced sorption capacity and selectivity. Further, personal insights into challenges and future opportunities are discussed in brief. We hope that this review article on phosphate and its engineering for acting as promising removal agents will guide readers in designing novel materials and strategies for improving the adsorption capacity and selectivity of the materials toward radionuclide removal.