Design and fabrication of amidoxime functionalized phenolic ether-polymers for U(VI) extraction

As a low-carbon and clean energy source, nuclear energy is one of the priority development targets of the country. Uranium is an important component of nuclear energy, which limits the development of nuclear energy due to China′s limited uranium reserves on land. However, there are about 4.5 billion tons of uranium in the ocean, which can meet the long-term needs of nuclear energy's development. Herein, starting from the structure design of material, three uranium adsorption polymers with phenol ether structure: ExiF-AO, ExiF-2-AO and DDBF-AO, were prepared by cheap industrial raw material tetrafluorophenone (TFTPN) and exifone (Exi)/4,4′-dihydroxybenzoyl (DDB) through crosslinking and amidoximation, and the relationships between materials' structure/ligand and adsorption properties were systematically studied. The results showed that compared with the similar linear structure polymers ExiF-AO and DDBF-AO, ExiF-2-AO with a reticular cross-linked structure had a higher adsorption capacity reached 347.5 mg/g, as well as a better recyclability and physicochemical stability. In this paper, the effects of polymer structure on uranium adsorption were discussed at the molecular structure level, providing some references for the rational design and fabrication of functional materials for extensive uranium extraction.