Yingbo Song

Abstract The efficient capture of low-concentration uranium (with a concentration range of 10–50 ppm) from nuclear and metallurgical wastewaters is crucial for safeguarding the ecological security of water bodies. Herein, an ion coordination approach was proposed to achieve the controlled arrangement of covalent organic framework (COF) nanowires, with these nanowires being horizontally aligned on the surface of poly(amidoxime) (PAO) fibers.

Abstract Natural aquatic systems harbour the world’s largest uranium reserves, a pivotal raw material underpinning the nuclear industry, sufficient to sustain global nuclear energy demand for millennia into the future. However, uranium extraction remains extremely challenging, attributed that uranium species form stable complexes with interfering substances (for example, CO32−, Ca2+), whereas conventional active moieties (adsorptive, catalytic) fail to interact effectively with the uranium core.

Abstract Heteropore covalent organic framework membranes are predicted to exhibit excellent uranium extraction capabilities due to their combination of rapid transport and strong affinity. However, the growth orientation of covalent organic framework networks is susceptible to disturbance when a supporting substrate is introduced, posing a major challenge to the fabrication of covalent organic framework membranes with well-defined hierarchical pores.