One-pot synthesis of a graphene oxide-supported TixAl1−xOy-based material modified with amidoxime for highly efficient uranium(vi) adsorption†

The efficient recovery of uranium from aqueous solutions is crucial for ecological safety and sustainable development. In this case, functionalized nanoparticles provide a promising strategy for the recovery and separation of radionuclides. In this study, a novel graphene oxide-supported, amidoxime functionalized TiO₂–Al₂O₃ material (AO-GTA) was successfully prepared for the extraction of uranium. Owing to its uniform structure and abundant exposed active sites, AO-GTA exhibits an excellent adsorption performance for uranium. It could rapidly (<60 min) achieve a high adsorption efficiency (99.7%) for uranium from water and a high static saturated adsorption capacity (875.2 mg g⁻¹), which was far superior to other titanium oxide-based adsorbents. Meanwhile, an uranium extraction experiment in simulated seawater proved that AO-GTA has great application prospects in uranium extraction. The excellent adsorption performance of AO-GTA was attributed to electrostatic interaction, reduction and synergistic complexation. In conclusion, AO-GTA is a promising uranium adsorbent, which will open a new direction for the design of titanium oxide-based adsorbents for the removal of uranium.