Synthesis of Amidoxime-modified Hollow Organic Porous Nanospheres for Efficient Uranium Adsorption from Aqueous Solution

Despite its disadvantages, nuclear power still has some advantages over traditional fossil fuels and could have a part to play in solving the current energy crisis. Among them, nuclear waste (mainly uranium and plutonium) is the inevitable product of the extensive development and application of nuclear power, and its recovery and storage technology are on the focus of scientific research. Herein, amidoxime-modified hollow organic porous nanospheres (HOPNs-AO) were prepared by co-hyper-crosslinking from polylactide-b-polystyrene (PLA-b-PS) diblock copolymer and benzeneacetonitrile based on the Scholl coupling reaction. Owing to the specific adsorption property of amidoxime groups for uranyl ions, the obtained HOPNs-AO exhibited excellent adsorption capacity (q_max=519.5 mg ⋅ g⁻¹), chemical stability, and selectivity for uranyl ions in an aqueous solution. In addition, HOPNs-AO can still maintain more than 80 % adsorption capacity in the fifth cycle. The above results indicate that the successful design of this material provides a meaningful way for the recovery of uranium ions in aqueous solution.