Lotus-Petiole Inspired Porous Zwitterions Electrode for Efficient Electrochemical Uranium Extraction from Seawater

Electrochemical method offers a promising route for the continuous uranium extraction from seawater, thereby holding significant potential to ensure a sustainable supply of uranium for the nuclear energy industry. The electrode material plays a critical role in determining uranium extraction efficiency, demanding excellent mass transfer performance and high selectivity for effective extraction. Herein, inspired by the hierarchically ordered, porous, and intercross-linked vascular bundle structure of lotus petiole, we report the rational design and successful synthesis of zwitterionic ordered porous electrodes (SBMA-MPAO). This biomimetic architecture not only enhances charge/ion transfer rate and ensures sufficient seawater transport, but also provides numerous adsorption sites for uranyl capture. Furthermore, the integration of zwitterionic moieties enables a synergistic interaction with uranyl species, significantly enhancing extraction efficiency. In natural seawater, the SBMA-MPAO electrode achieves an outstanding uranium adsorption capacity of 9.54 mg/g within 72 hours, including a remarkably high uptake rate of 4.58 mg/g/d on the first day, while maintaining excellent selectivity throughout the process. This work proposes a novel strategy to construct high-performance electrodes for uranium extraction from seawater.