Bi-Functional Co/Al Modified 1T-MoS2/rGO Catalyst for Enhanced Uranium Extraction and Hydrogen Evolution Reaction in Seawater

Uranium is a key element in the preparation of nuclear fuel. An electrochemical uranium extraction technique is proposed to achieve high efficiency uranium extraction performance through HER catalyst. However, it is still a challenge to design and develop a high-performance hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst for rapid extraction and recovery of uranium from seawater. Herein, a bi-functional Co, Al modified 1T-MoS2/reduced graphene oxide (CA-1T-MoS2/rGO) catalyst, showing a good HER performance with a HER overpotential of 466 mV at 10 mA cm(-2) in simulated seawater, is first developed. Benefiting from the high HER performance of CA-1T-MoS2/rGO, efficient uranium extraction is achieved with a uranium extraction capacity of 1990 mg g(-1) in simulated seawater without post-treatment, exhibiting a good reusability. The results of experiments and density functional theory (DFT) show that a high uranium extraction and recovery capability is attributed to the synergy effect of the improved HER performance and the strong adsorption capacity between U and OH*. This work provides a new strategy for the design and preparation of bi-functional catalysts with high HER performance and uranium extraction and recovery capabilities in seawater.

Automated summary

A bi-functional Co, Al modified 1T-MoS2/reduced graphene oxide (CA-1T-MoS2/rGO) catalyst with good HER performance is developed for efficient extraction and recovery of uranium from seawater.