Enhanced removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution by a novel LDH@MOF-76 composite

In this article, LDH@MOF-76 composite was successfully prepared by using a hydrothermal method and applied for the sorption of U(VI) from aqueous solution.The as-prepared composite displayed a typical porous and rodlike structure.The sorption performance of LDH@MOF-76 toward U(VI) was investigated by batch experiments.The results indicated that the LDH@MOF-76 could rapidly and effectively remove U(VI) from aqueous solution, with an excellent sorption capacity (433.91 mg/g), which is much higher than pure LDH (107.21 mg/g) and MOF-76 (269.14 mg/g).The high sorption capacity of the LDH@MOF-76 toward U(VI) resulted from the special onedimensional channels of MOF-76 and the electrostatic attraction between U(VI) and LDH@MOF-76.Regeneration experiments revealed the LDH@MOF-76 had a good recycle performance.Based on the zeta potential and XPS analysis, the possible mechanism of U(VI) sorption involved the surface complexation and electrostatic attraction.In addition, the intraparticle diffusion model provided a good explanation for the sorption process.In summary, LDH@MOF-76 material can be a promising material to efficiently remove U(VI) from aqueous solution.