Highly stable and activated Cerium-based MOFs superstructures for ultrahigh selective uranium (VI) capture from simulated seawater

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their tunable mor-phologies, open topological structures, large specific surface areas, and large number of active sites. These characteristics facilitate the potential application of MOFs to uranium extraction from seawater. Through calcination at low temperatures, activated MOFs with transition structures between MOFs and metal oxides can be prepared. Activated MOFs can not only maintain the structural advantages of the original material but can also expose many active metal sites. In this study, we rapidly synthesized Ce (1,3,5-Benzenetricarboxylic acid)(3) (H2O)(6) with a superstructure comprising one-dimensional nanorods at room temperature. Activated cerium-based metal-organic framework (CeMOF) with strong water sta-bility was obtained via calcination in nitrogen at 150 degrees C. Furthermore, CeBTC-150 exhibited ultrahigh selectivity for uranium, and the distribution coefficient (K-d) reached approximately 3.5 x 10(5) mL/g. The proposed method yielded not only an efficient adsorbent for uranium extraction from simulated seawater but also an innovative concept for the extraction of uranium ions from seawater using activated MOFs. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising for uranium extraction from seawater due to their structural advantages and active metal sites. By activating MOFs through low-temperature calcination, the selectivity for uranium can be significantly improved.