MOF-implanted poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid)/chitosan organic hydrogel for uranium extraction from seawater

In this study, a composite hydrogel with a low swelling ratio, excellent mechanical properties, and good U (VI) adsorption capacity was developed by incorporating a metal-organic framework (MOF) with a poly (acrylamide- co -acrylic acid)/chitosan (P(AM-co-AA)/CS) composite. The CS chain, which contains NH 2 , reduces the swelling ratio of the hydrogel to 4.17 after 5 h of immersion in water. The coordinate bond between the MOF and carboxyl group on the surface of P(AM-co-AA)/CS improves the mechanical properties and stability of P(AM-co-AA)/CS. The U(VI) adsorption capacity of P(AM-co-AA)/CS/MOF-808 is 159.56 mg g −1 at C 0  = 99.47 mg L −1 and pH = 8.0. The adsorption process is well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order model. The P(AM-co-AA)/CS/MOF-808 also exhibits good repeatability and stability after five adsorption–desorption cycles. The uranium adsorption capacity of the developed adsorbent after one month in natural seawater is 6.2 mg g −1 , and the rate of uranium adsorption on the hydrogel is 0.21 mg g −1  day −1 .