Synthesis of novel hyper-cross-linked polymers for efficient uranium(VI) capture from aqueous solution

Uranium extraction from seawater is of great significance for the development of the nuclear industry. However, the adsorption of uranium is limited by selectivity of uranium and recycle performance. In this study, amidoxime-functionalized polymer (BP-AO) was prepared by coupling benzene with phenylacetonitrile to extraction uranium from aqueous solution. Adsorption experiments show that the adsorption progress of BP-AO can reach equilibrium within 5 min and the maximum adsorption capacity is 193.9 mg·g⁻¹ calculated by Langmuir model. The selectivity of BP-AO for U(VI) is excellent and after five adsorption–desorption experiments, the adsorption capacity only decreased about 10%. The adsorption mechanism shows that the sorption is mainly due to the formation of stable chelates between the amidoxime groups and U(VI). These results demonstrate the potential application of the adsorbent for practical utilization.