Chitosan-poly(imide dioxime) semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel for efficient uranium recovery from seawater

The development of high-performance adsorbents is highly demanded in sustainable production of nuclear power. Herein, porous chitosan-poly(imide dioxime) (Cs-PIDO) hydrogel with semi-interpenetrating structure was prepared. Cs-PIDO-1 showed rapid kinetics, high adsorption capacity and excellent regeneration capability. Impressively, the capture speed of Cs-PIDO-1 reached 0.35 mg g −1  d −1 during the first 2-week extraction and its 4-week adsorption capacity was up to 5.75 mg g −1 in real seawater. The superior uranium harvesting performance originated from the cooperation effect of hierarchically porous structure and PIDO groups. This work highlights the importance of rational designed structure and functionality in enhancing the uranium uptake capability. Graphical abstract