Phosphonic-sulfonic functionalized diphenylamine polymer for uranium (VI) adsorption in acidic media
摘要
A novel hybrid polymer adsorbent (PDBASA) was synthesized via phosphonation and sulfonation of a diphenylamine-based polymer to enhance uranium(VI) removal under acidic conditions. Structural characterization using FTIR, XRD, XPS, and SEM confirmed successful incorporation of phosphonic (–PO₃H₂) and sulfonic (–SO₃H) groups and revealed a porous, amorphous morphology. Batch adsorption studies demonstrated optimal performance at pH 2, achieving equilibrium within 20 min. The maximum adsorption capacity reached 52.03 mg/g at 318 K, significantly higher than that of precursor materials. Adsorption followed the Langmuir model (R² ≈ 0.999), indicating monolayer coverage, while kinetics were best described by the pseudo-second-order model (R² ≈ 0.996), suggesting chemisorption as the rate-limiting step. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the process is endothermic (ΔH° = 24.73 kJ/mol), spontaneous (ΔG° = −27.75 to − 31.27 kJ/mol), and entropy-driven (ΔS° = 176.19 J/mol·K). The adsorbent maintained 90% efficiency over five cycles, confirming good reusability. The enhanced performance is attributed to strong electrostatic interactions and to the complexity arising from interactions between uranyl ions and oxygen-donor functional groups. These results demonstrate that PDBASA is a robust and efficient adsorbent for uranium recovery from acidic aqueous systems relevant to nuclear wastewater treatment.